[N]ew analysis has revealed there were on average over 30 assaults a day on NHS workers and police officers in the North West in 2016.
New analysis of government figures from the office of Chris Bryant MP shows that there were over 11,000 assaults on NHS workers and police officers in the North West in 2016, around 30 a day on average. The same figures show a shocking 100,000 assaults on NHS and police staff across the whole of England and Wales in 2016, the equivalent of over 275 assaults each day.
The new figures have been released ahead of a debate in Parliament this week about a new law that would offer greater protection to emergency workers. Chris Bryant MP’s Private Member’s Bill would, for the first time, create a new aggravated offence of assaulting an emergency worker.
Specifically, the Bill would mean tougher sentences for people who commit a variety of offences including malicious wounding, grievous or actual bodily harm and common assault against a police constable, firefighter, RNLI worker, prison staff, doctor, paramedic, nurse and other NHS workers in the execution of their duty.
To obtain the picture of how urgent the need for this bill is, data from the now defunct NHS Protect was compared with data from the Home Office to show the shocking scale of abuse and assault facing our hardworking emergency staff in the region. Despite NHS workers across the North West experiencing over 11000 assaults in 2016 only 5% resulted in any type or criminal prosecution.
Chris Bryant MP who is sponsoring the bill to protect emergency workers said: “An attack on an emergency worker is an attack on all of us. I hope this bill will signal a zero-tolerance attitude from everyone, the CPS, the courts and the public to these scandalous assaults.
“These shocking figures show just why this new law is needed to protect our protectors. The rate of prosecutions for assaults on NHS workers is pitiful, and makes clear just why we need the stronger sentencing this bill will provide. The government need to support this bill to give tougher penalties for assaulting emergency workers and to ensure we send the message in the strongest terms that it will no longer be tolerated.”
