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09
May
‘Police don’t deserve to be abused or assaulted. We want to feel safe too’
For most law-abiding citizens, the thought of even answering back to a police officer would be enough to tense up.
But a week seldom goes by without at least one person appearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court accused of assaulting a police officer – a serious offence that can land offenders behind bars.
The Stray Ferret recently covered the case of a man who spat his blood at and threatened to murder a North Yorkshire Police officer in a drunken incident in Spofforth, while a couple admitted to biting and kicking two police officers in a separate incident in Harrogate.
When we spoke to North Yorkshire Police at the end of April, it had already recorded 21 assaults against officers in the Harrogate district since the beginning of the year. But why do some people feel it’s acceptable and how do the assaults impact both the officers and the wider force?
“It’s not just an attack on one officer – it affects everybody”, inspector Ed Rogerson told the Stray Ferret.
Insp Rogerson has served as a North Yorkshire Police officer for 22 years, and says he joined the force for the same reason as most officers: to help the community.
Now a performance manager, Insp Rogerson is less involved in frontline policing, but he’s had his fair share of run-ins with violence and disorder.
Some years ago, Insp Rogerson was dealing with an antisocial behaviour incident amongst a group of people in Harrogate, when a member of the group grabbed his police helmet and began attacking Insp Rogerson with it – hitting him in the face with a solid helmet.
Insp Rogerson was able to use his PAVA spray to disarm the attacker, but he hadn’t expected to leave work with a black eye that evening.
When I went to that job, I wasn’t expecting to be attacked. I don’t want to be attacked; I don’t want to fight people. That’s not why I joined the police, but unfortunately that’s what happens.
In a separate incident – and a rather grim twist of irony – Insp Rogerson found himself pinned to the ground by the very man he was trying to arrest on King’s Road.
He says it’d be “difficult to find a police officer who hasn’t been assaulted” at work, and describes the assaults as traumatic, but he feels his own experiences are “fairly minor” compared to that of his colleagues:
I think my colleagues who face racist abuse and misogyny have it worse than I’ve had it.
Especially for those who are repeat victims… so if they’re victims of racism, sexism or homophobia… it can build up like it can in any person. Being a repeat victim again and again when you’re just trying to do your job isn’t right.
But it’s not just the individual officer who is impacted by physical or verbal assaults, Insp Rogerson says, as it can have a huge ripple effect on the rest of the force.
It affects the service we give to the public. If officers are off sick because they’re injured, response times to emergencies aren’t going to be as good. There’s not going to be as many officers on shift. So, it’s not just an attack on that officer, it affects everyone.
Harrogate Police Station
‘We are all normal people’
So, why does Insp Rogerson think people behave this way?
“They can’t see past the uniform, but police officers are all normal people who have feelings and families”, he says.
He said it’s unacceptable for anyone to be treated in such a way, adding:
Most police officers join because they want to do good. My experience at North Yorkshire Police is that my colleagues are decent, hardworking people who want to do their best for their communities.
And what would Insp Rogerson want people who have assaulted an officer, or would consider it acceptable, to know?
That [assaulting police] is unacceptable. That no one has a right to assault a police officer or police staff, and that it will be dealt with robustly.
The message, really, is that it is taken seriously. The police officers and their families should know it’s taken seriously, and support is available if they have been affected.
‘What if they attack us?’
PC Darren Boulton always knew he wanted to be a police officer.
He says he was “one of those lads” who dressed up as a copper when he was little and was glued to TV shows like Police Interceptors and The Bill.
But just over two years into the job at North Yorkshire Police and PC Boulton has already experienced physical violence and faces verbal abuse regularly.
PC Boulton said when he is called to an incident involving someone known to the police or who has a history of assaulting officers, he thinks: "What are they going to do? What if they attack us?".
But he feels North Yorkshire Police trains officers well to “process thoughts and think proactively” about how they can deal with potentially violent situations.
"It can be scary, but we're trained to deal with scary", PC Boulton added.
PC Boulton also said the force has offered him mental health support, and his inspector and his sergeant check on his welfare.
But why does PC Boulton believe people assault officers?
A lot of it is substance-related: alcohol, drugs. Mental health, too. People aren’t thinking rationally and if they’re in a heightened state, emotions go out the window.
Some of it is lack of respect – we don’t get the respect we deserve. Back in the day, it was different. If you were dragged home by a police officer, you were terrified. Now, it’s catch me if you can.
And what does he feel would help prevent police assaults?
“Tougher sentences”, PC Boulton responds quickly, adding:
It should be a one-strike thing. You assault an emergency worker, you get a good sentence. People need to know we’re off-limits.
We’re just normal people. We’re paid to do a job – look after people, keep law and order. We don’t deserve to be abused or assaulted. The people I work with genuinely want to help people and make them feel safe, but we want to feel safe too.
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