Assaults on police rise in Telford despite lockdown
"Worrying" statistics show that assaults on police officers have almost doubled in Telford - but a boss insists such behaviour won't be tolerated.
Assaults on West Mercia Police officers rose by 41 per cent in Telford and Wrekin from October to December last year compared to the previous three months, and 36 per cent compared to the same period the year before, despite the November lockdown and an overall reduction in recorded crime.
The force's police and crime commissioner John Campion said: "These statistics, once again, make very worrying reading. At a time when the country has been subject to the strictest restrictions on movement seen since the Second World War, and at a time when overall recorded crime is at its lowest for many years.
“I have been committed to raising awareness of assaults on frontline workers, and making sure that the right support is in place for officers that have been victims of crime. The statistics have reinforced my support for tougher sentencing for the minority that assault frontline workers, and to send a clear message that this behaviour won’t be tolerated.
”Assaults have far reaching effects on officers, their families, friends and colleagues which cannot be under-estimated. I will do everything I can to support action to bring the perpetrators of this type of crime to justice.”
Figures show that from October to December 2020 officers were assaulted on 38 separate occasions in Telford and Wrekin compared with 27 between July and September 2020.
Officer assaults have been steadily increasing over the last five years and figures show that in 2018/19 549 frontline officers were assaulted across West Mercia, with the figure for 2019/20 rising to 675.
In the first three quarters of 2020, 489 police officers were assaulted, despite the most stringent restrictions on movement the country has experienced in recent history.
