An average of eight police officers assaulted every day

Police have launched an awareness campaign around officers being assaulted during the carrying out of their work. One Newry based police officer sustained concussion after she was head butted by a man she was taking into custody. The PSNI have revealed that on average eight police officers are assaulted every day.

Superintendent Gary Busch from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Operational Support Department said: “In 2022/23[1], we had 3,272 assaults on officers reported to us. It’s important to remember that these are not just statistics but they represent real people with families and they don't deserve to be assaulted just for just doing their job.

“We, as a Police Service, are committed to investigating these attacks rigorously, just as we would were it a member of the public. From today, Monday 4th March, the Chief Constable will provide a statement to case files where officers or staff have been assaulted while on duty, to highlight how these incidents impact both the individuals involved, and the Service as a whole.”

“The assaults on police ranged from being spat at, head-butted, kicked, punched and having missiles thrown at them.”

The Newry-based officer was head-butted in December 2022 by a man she was escorting into police custody – the extent of her injuries resulted in a concussion.

The local policing sergeant recalled what happened: “It came as a complete shock to me. All I remember is feeling his head on mine and then seeing stars. I count myself lucky, it could have been much more serious had he got from the front of my head.

“I’m still recovering from the assault, I had pain in my head for two weeks and am still dealing with the mental impact. These type of attacks are not acceptable, we are not human punch bags. We are doing our best to make a difference to the communities we serve.”

These incidents have the potential to seriously injure our officers. Superintendent Busch commented: “ Each of these incidents have the potential to have a long lasting impact, both physically and mentally, on the individual.

“Despite this, they continue to do their job, serve their community and keep people safe. Police officers should never be taken for granted, they do a vital job and whilst we come to work knowing we could be faced with difficult and dangerous situations, it is completely unacceptable that we should be physically attacked.

Superintendent Busch concluded “Our message to those who think this behaviour is acceptable, it is not; it should not be seen as ‘part of the job’ and we will pursue those individuals and bring them before the courts.”

The Chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI), Liam Kelly, added “Our officers do not deserve to be targeted in this manner for simply doing their job. They work tirelessly on behalf of this entire community and any assault on them should be viewed as an assault on society overall."