West Midlands Police Federation chair welcomes push for tougher sentences
A police chief has slammed people who have been caught coughing and spitting on officers during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chairman of West Midlands Police Federation Jon Nott has said he is pleased to see harsher punishment has been put in place for people who are trying to use Covid-19 as a weapon.
The move comes after frontline officers were spat or coughed at by people – but measures are not expected to come into force until next year.
Mr Nott said: “It beggars belief that some people think it is acceptable to spit or cough on a police officer in the current climate. Not only is it a deplorable act in itself but it also heightens levels of fear and anxiety in officers who are already facing up to plenty of new challenges as they work on the front-line against an invisible killer.
"I hope the punishments now available will make people think twice before they think of abusing our members in such a degrading way."
The comments come after a man who claimed to have coronavirus as he repeatedly spat at police officers has been jailed for six months.
Christopher Harris lashed out at three West Midlands Police officers as they tried to arrest him at his home in Stetchford, in Birmingham, on March 27.
