'Serious risks' of policing exposed after scores of officers attacked over festive period
Police officers were punched, kicked, molested and smeared with blood during scores of attacks in just one month.
According to official data, 173 cases of assaults on police constables were recorded last December, despite strict Covid restrictions being in place for part of the month.
The incidents include 19 that were recorded in a 48 hour period between Christmas and New Year, which saw an officer sexually assaulted and another officer rushed to hospital after ingesting blood from a person with Hepatitis C while trying to to stop a bleed.
Another incident saw a 34-year-old man jailed for six months after admitting attacking a police officer on Christmas Day.
The figure has been described as “completely and utterly unacceptable” by the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster.
He added: “We all know policing is a job with serious risks, but these numbers are too high.
“The vast majority of people value police officers and I’m sure they will also be concerned to learn what’s going on.
“Police officers confront danger, when most of us run from it and we never know when we, our family, friends and local community might need them.”
The force says the true figure is likely to be far higher due to many incidents going unreported.
Attacks on officers have continued throughout this year. In July two officers were slashed in West Bromwich in an incident that saw three people arrested on suspicion of murder.
And earlier this month several officers were assaulted after attending reports of knife-wielding teenagers by Wolverhampton bus station.
By March next year West Midlands Police will have almost 5,000 body-worn cameras at its disposal.
The kit is seen as a vital tool in keeping officers safe, gathering evidence against offenders and promoting trust and confidence in the police.
