Number of females convicted for assaults on police and 999 workers soars

ATTACKS by women on police and other 999 workers have soared, figures obtained by The Sun on Sunday reveal.

The number of females convicted for emergency crew assaults rose almost 25 per cent in a year to 3,874.

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The number of females convicted for emergency crew assaults has risen by 25 per cent[/caption]

But just 245 were jailed, with most given fines or community service, the Ministry of Justice statistics also show. The average fine was just £143.

Until last year, only police officers were covered by ­specific legislation in relation to them being victims of attacks.

But the Government changed the law to cover all emergency workers such as NHS, fire and prison staff.

Then Minister for Policing and the Fire Service Nick Hurd said: “This law will ensure judges can properly punish those despicable individuals who think it’s acceptable to assault these hard-working men and women.”

Centre for Crime Prevention research director David Spencer said of the figures: “The growth in the number of female assailants is troubling, but an assault is an assault no matter who commits it.

The Home Secretary would do well to ensure that anyone found guilty of assaulting a police officer or a member of the emergency services faces mandatory time behind bars.”

Police Federation vice-chairman Ché Donald added: “Anyone who commits these despicable offences must be harshly dealt with by the courts.”

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