Officers given spit and bite guards

Last week Dyfed-Powys Police equipped all officers on the front line with lightweight mesh fabric guards to place over their heads, to help minimise the risk of diseases and injuries associated with spitting and biting.

In 2017, a total of 77 spitting and biting offences against Dyfed-Powys officers and staff were recorded, which equates to an average of more than six per month.

The force is one of 25 who have rolled out the use of guards, and assistant chief constable Richard Lewis said they were to protect not just the officers but the public too.

He said: "Both spitting and biting are a particularly unpleasant form of assault and should not be considered by anyone to be an acceptable part of the job.

“Assaults by spitting and biting can have long term and distressing implications for officers, who sometimes have to take medication for many weeks afterwards to prevent infection.

“Use of force tactics, such as spit and bite guards, are there to protect not only the public but also for the safety of our officers, who face dangerous situations every day."

Earlier this year, a police officer was bitten by a man who was arrested on suspicion of robbery at the Spar shop in Montgomery.

Simon Paul Jones had been taken into a police station by two officers, and during a struggle with one of the officers he bit one of them.

He was later jailed at Mold Crown Court for four and a half years after admitting offences of robbery, actual bodily harm and common assault.

The force's police commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn wrote to MPs earlier this year encouraging them to the Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill through the House of Commons.

He added: "Dyfed-Powys Police officers do their utmost to deliver invaluable services to the public, day in day out, no matter the circumstances.

"It is not right that they are subject to abuse whilst performing their duties, and it is our duty to protect those who strive to keep us safe and free from harm."