Quarter of police are attacked

One in four frontline West Midlands and Staffordshire police officers has been attacked by thugs, figures revealed yesterday.

A staggering 14,099 officers in the West Midlands have been subjected to an assault in the last five years, according to data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Some 2,199 policemen and women were attacked last year - around a quarter of its 8,153-strong force.

The statistics, which also revealed that one police officer is assaulted every 20 minutes in Britain, were released by forces in response to requests from Conservative MP Grant Shapps.

He said his report depicted the "perilous relaity" for frontline officers.

There were some 2,655 attacks on Staffordshire police officers between 2002 and 2006, with 544 incidents recorded last year - more than a quarter of the its 2,273-strong force.

Around 89 officers were attacked in West Mercia last year, racking up its five year total to 950.

All but one of the 51 constabularies in England, Scotland and Wales contributed to the findings.

They revealed that there were 25,368 assaults in police officers in 2006 - a marginal rise on 2002 when there were 24,599.