At least 13 police officers were attacked over the weekend in Wales.
Nine officers from South Wales Police were targeted in assaults including strangling and spitting to the face, said a spokeswoman for the force.
She said the incidents happened in Cardiff, Penarth, Swansea, Abergwynfi and Bridgend. One officer needed hospital treatment for cuts to the head and another after being strangled.
And four officers from North Wales Police were also attacked between Friday and Sunday. Male and female officers were injured in the assaults in Wrexham and Flintshire, said a spokesman for the force.
He added: "Shortly before 11pm on Sunday, we received reports of a male behaving aggressively at the Y Pentan pub in Mold. Officers attended and were assaulted whilst attempting to detain the suspect.
"One female officer was kicked in the face and sustained minor bruising, while her male colleague was spat at by the suspect. A 24-year-old male was subsequently arrested for assault and public order offences.
"On Friday, officers attended reports of an ongoing fight between males outside the Hampden Arms pub in Acrefair. When making an arrest of a male suspect, one officer was punched to the face and sustained cuts to his legs as the result of an attack.
"In the early hours of Sunday morning, a male witnessed causing criminal damage on Wrexham’s Abbot Street has attempted to headbutt an arresting officer."
North Wales Superintendent Nick Evans said the incidents were not "extraordinary" or "any more frequent than any other weekend", adding: “On the contrary, this was a relatively low-demand weekend at a fairly quiet time of the year.
"The assaults described are sadly a regular occurrence and it is for this reason it is so important that we remind ourselves and others that being assaulted is not and never will be just part of the job. No assault on any emergency service worker is ever acceptable."
The South Wales Police spokeswoman described the attacks as "serious matters and wholly unacceptable". She said assaults on officers and frontline staff are "commonplace and increasing".
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"While the severity of such attacks varies, the impact upon the individual, their family, colleagues and society does not," she added. "Each time an officer or member of staff is assaulted, there is the risk of adverse effects on the individual’s physical and mental wellbeing, which can often result in sickness absences which can also place additional demands on other members of the organisation due to increased workloads and responsibilities.
"The public call upon the police to help them in times of emergency, crisis or when they are most in need. We have a duty to protect the public but our efforts are often significantly affected due to the actions of individuals who perpetrate violence and aggression upon officers and staff.
"Most importantly it should be remembered that police officers and staff are people, they are parents, children, siblings and friends. When they are attacked they become victims just like any other, but victims who have been abused or assaulted while trying to protect others from harm and undertaking their public duties."
Mark Jones, general secretary of North Wales Police Federation, said an assault on a police officer or staff member is "an assault on society as a whole".
"Behind the uniform is a human being; a mum, dad, son, daughter, brother, sister," he said. “The scars, both physically and psychologically, can last forever following an attack and therefore we demand that those who are responsible face tough sentences.”
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