Like many people I have found it hard to watch the tv recently as hundreds of our police officers have endured several days and nights of public unrest on the streets around Westminster and across our country. Whatever the protest, no matter how important the cause, there is no excuse for violence against our police officers.
It is often forgotten that behind every officer’s uniform is a normal human being with friends, children, husbands and wives. They think and feel like we do. They are fearful under attack and equally vulnerable to pain. And yet, we have seen in recent months a series of appalling acts of violence against them.
During the coronavirus crisis we have heard reports of individuals spitting and coughing in the face of our officers. We have seen face-covered protestors punch, kick and throw stones at them. And we have seen a baying mob clap and cheer as a female police officer fell from her horse to the concrete below. This violence and disrespect towards those who seek to protect us must end.
Some may suggest that this unrest is a consequence of the lock down, however unfortunately attacks on our police force happen more regularly than you would think. In 2018/19 there were over 30,000 attacks on our police officers in England and Wales alone, that’s 85 police officers attacked each and every single day. This is despite the fact that laws and sentencing guidelines were strengthened recently to help protect and discourage violence against emergency workers.
It is clear there is an underlying issue at play, with many in our society who do not respect our police officers and the danger they face on our behalf every day. Even in death it seems they are not safe from this disrespect, when last weekend we saw a man urinate on the memorial to PC Keith Palmer who was stabbed to death by a terrorist while on duty in 2017.
Respect is something that must work both ways and of course it is vital that the police force are held to account where powers have been overstepped, that’s why we have the Independent Office for Police Compliants (IOPC) and we should always monitor this.
However, after a period of such acute unrest and violence, I believe it is time for us to act to help improve the respect shown to our officers. I look forward to meeting with our Police Commissioner, Marc Jones, and senior officers at Grantham Police station to discuss how we may be able to work together to address this.
