Nine Lincolnshire police officers were assaulted within three days

Nine Lincolnshire police officers were assaulted as they carried out their duties within three days.
Bill Skelly, Chief Constable of Lincolnshire PoliceBill Skelly, Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police
Bill Skelly, Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police

Two PCs were bitten and kicked while arresting a man, a Sergeant was spat at and head-butted, causing his lip to split open, while attending an attempted robbery and six officers were injured while dealing with a woman who was trying to kick down a door.

The officer most badly injured in that incident was bitten so hard that the bite went straight through the finger nail and nail bed. The suspect also spat and kicked at other officers who were trying to get her to release her bite on the PC.

Chief Constable, Bill Skelly, said: “There is no other word for this type of behavior other than appalling.

“This number of assaults on staff in such a short space of time really highlights how our officers and staff are placing themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis.

“They do so in order to protect the vulnerable, keep communities safe and to prevent and detect crime.

“We have a duty to protect the public but we are all too often prevented from doing so due to violent individuals who choose to attack those who are there to help them.

“All too often police officers and staff are subjected to assaults and threats.

“While the severity of such attacks changes, the impact upon society does not.

“It is never acceptable to assume that assaults upon police officers and staff should be tolerated; they are not simply ‘part of the job,’ and any presumption that a member of the police service should expect to be, or should accept being abused or subjected to violent behaviour, is wrong.

“While it is clear that the nature of policing requires members of the organisation to handle difficult and hostile situations, assaults upon them are serious and unacceptable. “

In 2017 271 officers and staff were assaulted in Lincolnshire.

Mr Skelly added: “We have taken steps to try and prevent assaults happening, including the introduction of spit and bite guards and the option to use Taser, but the only thing that will really change these numbers is that people quite simply stop being violent towards police.”