West Midlands Police officers are assaulted OVER 440 times
Police officers in the West Midlands have been assaulted more than 440 times over the course of a year in the line of duty, new figures reveal.
The number has risen from the previous year when there were 419 reports of police officers being attacked between the period of March 2013 to March 2014.
In the 12 months from March 2014, Wolverhampton had the most officer assaults with 89; Walsall at 53; Dudley at 41 and Sandwell came in with the lowest at 21.
Overall,238 officers were assaulted in Birmingham across the whole of the city, making the total number of assaults 442.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson says he is shocked by the figures and he heaped praise on 'public serving' police officers who he says should be able to carry out their roles without threatening behaviour against them.
He said: "It is outrageous that during the course of their duty police officers are attacked. They are hard-working public servants who should be allowed to go carry out their job without fear of violence.
"It is always shocking to see figures relating to these sorts of attacks and I want those responsible to feel the full force of the law.
"It is the job of police officers to keep the public safe and it is totally unacceptable that they have to endure such treatment."
West Midlands Police has 10 local policing units (LPUs), which are divided into 175 neighbourhoods. Each are policed by a dedicated neighbourhood team which contain police officers, police community support officers and special constables.
The hard-hitting statistics have been published by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of the Constabulary (HMIC) and were collected by the Home Office.
The figures include assaults which resulted in serious injury, for which the charge would be under section 18 and 20 Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and also include assaults resulting in minor injury, with the charges coming under section 47 Offences Against the Person Act.
West Midlands Police spokeswoman Gina Lycett said: "Whilst one assault on an officer is one too many, the nature of policing carries some risk.
"However, in the West Midlands our officers are trained in personal safety techniques.
"They are also suitably equipped to ensure that they are able to discharge their duties as safely as possible in protecting our communities.
"We work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that those who commit assaults on members of West Midlands Police staff are brought to justice."
