Almost 100 police officers in Forth Valley were coughed at, spat on or threatened with infection in ‘Covid-related’ assaults over the past year.
New figures by Police Scotland shows a total of 425 assaults on officers were reported in 2020-21 in the region, with 94 of these having a link to the virus.
The ‘Covid-related’ reports were identified by searching cases for keywords relating to coronavirus such as ‘spit’, ‘cough’ and ‘Covid’.
Those incidents fall into a general pattern of assaults against officers, with an increase of 413 on the 2019-20 figure - up by 6.3 per cent year-on-year.
Assaults on police are also up 18 per cent on the five-year average, with police initiatives underway aimed at stopping the offences.
Deputy Chief Constable, People and Professionalism, Fiona Taylor, said: “Officers and staff stepped forward to help combat the spread of the virus, conducting in excess of 120,000 interactions with members of the public to explain rapidly changing guidance, encourage everyone to do the right thing and enforce the law where required.
“I am grateful to the vast majority of people who responded with remarkable co-operation and support for their police service. Officers and staff work with dedication and a commitment to helping people and violence and abuse against them is utterly deplorable and unacceptable. It is not simply part of the job and will not be tolerated.”
Police Scotland launched a campaign in August last year aimed at providing support to officers who have faced violence on duty and have also urged the public to show support for policing.
Officers are now also subject to a two-day training programme which introduces new techniques and de-escalation tactics aimed at reducing levels of confrontation.
DCC Taylor said: “Tackling the concerning trend of increasing assaults on officers and staff is a priority for Police Scotland. It causes physical and psychological harm to dedicated public servants. There is also a cost to the public purse through days lost to ill-health or personal injury claims.
“We will continue to work to better understand how we prevent violence and abuse against officers and staff, what impact it has on our colleagues, and how we can better support them to do their job.”
