Police chief’s disgust at ‘shameful’ rise in assaults on officers

‘UNACCEPTABLE’: Humberside Police Chief Constable Lee Freeman. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography

Humberside Police officers are increasingly being attacked and spat at, Chief Constable Lee Freeman has revealed. In the second part of an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with Rick Lyon, he discusses the affect on his staff, policing during the pandemic, and tackling anti-social behaviour in Hull

A rising number of “unacceptable” assaults on Humberside Police officers is leading to some quitting the force, Chief Constable Lee Freeman has told The Hull Story.

There have been 630 attacks on police constables across the force area so far in 2021. That figure does not include offences committed against PCSOs, other officers or police staff.

Mr Freeman said the problem is currently worse than at any other point in his career, and has recently resulted in a number of officers leaving their jobs.

Others are having to take time off to recover, further stretching resources, and some have been patrolling with broken noses and other injuries because they don’t want to let their colleagues or the public down.

“Officers are being assaulted and spat at on a level I’ve not seen before in my 29-year service,” said Mr Freeman.

“As a society, I think we should be ashamed of that. These officers are our sons and daughters, neighbours and friends, who are putting on a uniform and going out there to try and do the right thing.

“It has a massive personal impact on them. We’ve lost police officers who’ve been assaulted two, three, four times, and have just said ‘you know what, I can’t do this anymore’. These are good officers we’ve lost.

‘Police officers and staff will continue to step forward, but assaults are unacceptable’

“Communities are also being left without their police officers because they have to be off work to recover from their injuries. There’s also long-term psychological and emotional damage to consider.

“We’ve had police officers punched and headbutted who’ve refused to go off sick and are back out there the next day with broken noses because they don’t want to let their colleagues or victims of crime down.

“It’s not part of the job and it’s not acceptable. The work they do already involves a lot of trauma. The average person experiences three or four instances of trauma in their lives – police officers experience maybe 600 or 700.

“Police officers and staff will continue to take a step forward to protect the public, but these assaults are unacceptable.”

Mr Freeman said there has been a noticeable rise in attacks on officers and other members of the emergency services since the first national lockdown in March 2020.

He believes it is partially the result of increased levels of anger and “a lack of control” across society caused by Covid-19. There has also been a rise in reported violence more generally.

Mr Freeman said he welcomes the introduction of Harper’s Law, under which anyone convicted of killing a member of the emergency services in the line of duty will receive a mandatory life sentence. It is named after Thames Valley officer PC Andrew Harper, who was killed when he was dragged behind a car on a tow rope after responding to the theft of a quad bike by three teenagers.

‘OFFICERS AND STAFF WERE AMAZING DURING LOCKDOWN’: Chief Constable Lee Freeman talking to The Hull Story. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography

The Humberside Police chief also revealed every officer in his force can now be trained to use and carry a taser after 12 months’ service, but insisted enforcement and punishment is not the answer to the bigger picture.

“The answer is making it unacceptable and frowned upon for members of the public to assault police officers and staff when they’re just trying to do their job,” he said.

“My officers and staff don’t deserve it and it can sometimes feel like they don’t have the support of the public. I actually think the overall silent majority of people really support our police officers and staff and want them to do a good job, but sometimes it’s difficult for them to believe that when they’re the ones being assaulted.”

Mr Freeman said he was particularly disappointed by the abuse directed at officers following the unprecedented demands placed on them to protect the public throughout the pandemic.

He said: “I asked our officers and staff to step forward during the pandemic when others were understandably stepping back, and they did exactly that.

“They kept coming to work, even when there was a risk of themselves and their families getting infected, when there were real unknowns around the mortality rates.

“They were amazing at a time when I know they were worried about their own safety and that of their families at home.”

‘There aren’t any ‘no go’ areas in Hull’

Despite the spate of assaults on police officers, Mr Freeman believes Humberside’s adopted lockdown approach to try and work with the public, rather than issue fines for every breach of the rules, was successful.

“The force had some of the lowest levels of enforcement tickets in the country, and that was deliberate,” he said. “I was very conscious we needed a relationship with the public after Covid.

“We took a view that it was about engaging and talking to people, rather than just giving them a ticket, and I think that served us well based on the level of co-operation we got.”

The spread of the Omicron variant has led to suggestions further restrictions and even another full lockdown could be reintroduced, but in recent months the force has been able to focus on more day-to-day issues.

In Hull, this has included tackling anti-social behaviour.

Mr Freeman insists it is important to understand and address the causes, rather than simply arrest or disperse all those causing problems.

“There are absolutely no ‘no go’ areas in Hull or any other part of this force,” he said. “Like any city anywhere in the UK, there is anti-social behaviour and we have neighbourhood policing teams working in our communities every single day.

CHALLENGES: Humberside Police is working with Hull City Council to tackle anti-social behaviour

“We have a role to play in responding to issues and enforcing the law, as well as demonstrating that offenders are dealt with.

“I expect my officers to take action to deal with anti-social behaviour. They’re held to account over the issues in their local area and what they’re doing about it, but it isn’t just down to the police.

“There are really embedded, deep rooted social issues at play. A lot of anti-social behaviour stems from the homes these young people are coming from, the role modelling they get and what they see as being acceptable.

“There have always been challenges around anti-social behaviour, it’s not just this generation.

“That’s why we have to work in partnership with the likes of Hull City Council, and we do. We have a really good, effective partnership with the council.

“We have to understand what we’re providing for these young people in terms of youth services, and what interventions we have in place, because you don’t solve that issue through an arrest strategy.

“It’s in all our interests to work together.”

• Read Humberside Police Chief Constable Lee Freeman’s views on tackling male violence against women and girls, spiking by injection, and the impact Sarah Everard’s murder has had on the force here.