ASSAULTS against police officers and police staff in North Yorkshire have risen by almost 60 per cent during lockdown, new figures reveal.

Since March, when the UK introduced restrictions to combat coronavirus, 87 assaults against North Yorkshire Police officers and its staff have been reported. During the same period last year, the figure was 55 – a 58 per cent rise.

In the last month alone, there were 21 reported offences, with victims including police officers, PCSOs, custody workers, police staff, Special Constables and volunteers.

Reported assaults include staff being punched in the head, bitten, spat and coughed at, kicked, scalded with hot water, head-butted and having their eyes gouged.

North Yorkshire’s Chief Constable Lisa Winward said offenders show a “deplorable attitude to those who are making great sacrifices to serve their communities”. She vowed that anyone who assaults a North Yorkshire Police worker will be dealt by to the full extent of the law.

Incidents that officers have had to contend with include:

  • Six officers being punched in the face during different incidents, with at least two suffering black eyes.
  • An officer’s hand was bitten, and two other officers were bitten on the knee, all during separate incidents.
  • An officer was kicked in the side of his head.
  • An officer had to attend hospital for tests after someone spat in their eye. Several other officers were spat on during separate incidents.
  • An officer was head-butted on her nose.
  • An officer was stabbed in the hand with a pen in a custody suite.

Chief Constable Winward said: “Throughout the pandemic, officers and staff across the force have being showing a level of commitment, diligence and professionalism that is nothing short of incredible.

“Some colleagues have made significant personal sacrifices so they can continue to serve the public, such as not living with their families. Many have put their own anxieties aside, as they face difficult or potentially dangerous situations head-on. All have stepped up to the mark to help deliver an exceptional level of policing, right across North Yorkshire.

“So these assaults reflect a deplorable attitude to those who are making a great sacrifice to serve their communities.

“As well as being hugely distressing for the victims, they are also damaging to communities who are appalled by the warped mindset of those who attack people that work so hard to keep others safe.

“We absolutely cannot, and will not, tolerate that. It’s sickening and it’s wrong.

“If you assault an emergency services worker, you will be dealt with robustly to the full extent of the law. It’s that simple.”

Her comments have been echoed by North Yorkshire Police Federation, which looks after the welfare of its officers up to the rank of Chief Inspector.