Glasgow police bear the brunt as attacks on officers rise 10%

Published on Wednesday 10 March 2010 21:59

ATTACKS on Scottish police officers rose by 10 per cent in a year, new figures have revealed.

The highest number took place in Glasgow, where the total rose from 1,846 in 2007-08 to 2,214 in 2008-09.

A separate study by Strathclyde police revealed 15,050 working days were lost due to injuries suffered in assaults, costing Scotland's largest force 170,000.

It is giving 30 beat officers tasers – 15 in central Glasgow and 15 in Rutherglen and Cambuslang – in a pilot aimed at stopping confrontations between officers and aggressive members of the public becoming violent.

Chief Superintendent Bob Hamilton, head of territorial policing at Strathclyde police, said: "If I'm going to arrest someone I need to get in their personal space. That's dangerous for officers as well as for the person being arrested as the chance of physical violence is high.

"We need to make sure the first step counts, because the second is the officer getting assaulted."

Mr Hamilton was assaulted while policing a dance at a community centre in Lanarkshire in 1991.

"My colleague had a glass bottle smashed over his head," he said.

"I grabbed the guy in a headlock and he pushed the broken bottle into my right hand."

The Scottish Police Federation believes the pilot in Strathclyde is too small and hopes eventually all officers serving on the streets of Scotland will carry tasers.

Les Gray, chairman of the federation, said: "There was a 10 per cent rise (in assaults) last year, and before that the figure was consistent at around 6,500. It's horrendous."

The figures were released by the Scottish Parliament, in response to a question by Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Robert Brown.

He said: "These assault figures are wholly intolerable."

There were 6,877 assaults on officers in 2008-09, way up on 6,270 the previous year, but slightly less than the 6,908 in 2006-07.

There were 442 attacks in Edinburgh, 322 in Dumbarton, 278 in Airdrie, 275 in Paisley and 267 in Aberdeen in 2008-09.

Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton, secretary for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) crime business area, said: "In order to protect the public, there are occasions when both police officers and staff have to deal with incidents involving violence or threats of violence which inevitably can lead to our officers and staff being assaulted.

"The safety of our officers and staff is always of paramount importance.

"We work closely with the staff associations to ensure that we provide officers and staff with the appropriate support."

'He spat in my face – and said he had hepatitis C'

POLICE constable Kevin Clark was called to help a woman who had collapsed in an Indian takeaway, only to be attacked by her daughter's partner.

Charles Skinner, 30, spat on the officer and then told him he had hepatitis C, after being detained for breaching his bail conditions.

PC Clark, of Grampian Police, was called to the Mastrick Tandoori, in Greenfern Road, Aberdeen, after Skinner and Margaret Fullerton both collapsed on 26 November last year.

Skinner was not allowed to be in contact with Ms Fullerton, as part of a condition of bail granted earlier that month.

However, Fiscal Depute Ellen Mackay told Aberdeen Sheriff Court in December that the pair had entered the takeaway together.

"At around 7.30pm they entered the Mastrick Tandoori to order food,'' she said.

"While they were waiting, the accused and Margaret Fullerton fell over and collapsed on the floor."

She told the court police were called and when they entered the premises Skinner became abusive and was taken to a police car.

"The car was travelling down Mastrick Drive when he spat on a police officer and it hit him on the head.

''Skinner said he was contaminated with hepatitis C."

Alex Burn, defending, told the court that his client has not been diagnosed with the disease.

He said that he had lied to PC Clark because he was upset.

Mr Burn said the pair had been drinking heavily and had taken a large quantity of Valium which caused them to collapse in the takeaway.

Skinner, of Arnage Drive, Mastrick, admitted breaching his bail conditions and assaulting PC Clark.

Sheriff James Tierney sentenced him to four months in prison for the assault and 28 days for the breach of his bail conditions.