North Yorkshire’s police commissioner has called for those who attack emergency workers to go prison after revealing stark figures for assaults across the county.
In the past 12 months, 696 assaults against emergency workers were recorded in North Yorkshire and York – in 177 cases, these resulted in injuries.
Philip Allott, the county’s police, fire and crime commissioner, has backed legislation currently going through Parliament to come into force as soon as possible to provide protection for police officers and staff, firefighters and paramedics.
He said that under current legislation a non-custodial sentence or a fine is too often the punishment handed out.
Read more:
- Appeal after woman in wheelchair hits three-year-old girl
- Teenager dies after getting into difficulty in the River Wharfe
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will mean the maximum sentence for anyone found guilty of assaulting an emergency service worker, such as by thumping, kicking, pushing, shoving or spitting, is doubled to two years.
Mr Allott said:
“These are individuals who are on the front line and putting themselves in harm’s way who are being assaulted while working hard to protect us. It is only right we do everything we can to protect them in return by ensuring those who attack them go to prison.
“I completely back the doubling of the maximum sentence to two years and hope the law can be changed as quickly as possible. But, let’s be clear, those convicted can already be given a custodial sentence and all too often this punishment is not the one they receive. As these numbers show, the punishment handed out does not appear to be stopping offences. That must change.”
He continued:
“In my view, it’s simple – when someone attacks an emergency service worker, and unless they are detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act, nothing less than a custodial sentence will do and I will be writing to the court, at the time of sentencing, for anyone convicted of assaulting a police officer, PCSO, paramedic, firefighter or transport police in North Yorkshire and York to make that case.
“For those still intent on attacking emergency workers, please don’t subsequently say you were not warned.”
