Beds Police officers 'spat at, punched and kicked' while making arrests during coronavirus pandemic

Emma Carter, general secretary of the Bedfordshire branch of the Police Federation, posted on Twitter on Friday: "A number of our officers spat at, punched and kicked in the last 24 hours.

"All the incidents when arrested cited Covid-19. Spitting is one of the worst assaults at the best of times but now it’s even worse. Good to read some of the charges though

"Sadly it’s just another thing our frontline officers are having to deal with and even worse, it’s becoming more frequent."

The officers involved in the incidents are reported to be well and cases are being dealt with by supervisors.

Nationally, police forces have recorded a spike in the number of attacks on officers since the pandemic began, with as many as 30 officers being spat at per day according to figures compiled by The Telegraph.

In January, Beds Police Federation and bosses at Bedfordshire Police made calls for tougher sentences for attacks on police officers, with Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Kathryn Holloway urging magistrates to look at body-cam footage of attacks.

Chairman of Bedfordshire Police Federation, Jim Mallen said: "For too long police officers have become the physical and verbal punch bags of society.

"The sheer number of assaults and levels of violence that police officers face is now beyond the pale.

"Dozens of men and women are working on the front-line and being assaulted every single day."