THOSE who protect us must be protected themselves – that is, or should be, one of the guiding principles of modern policing. So it is troubling to hear that four police officers a day are being assaulted or injured in Scotland while carrying out their duties. The most recent figures show that last year there were 908 incidents of assault – a demonstration, says the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), of the fact that some people still think it is acceptable to attack the police.
According to the SPF, the figures are a reflection of some worrying trends in Police Scotland. Firstly, an under-resourcing of the force which has led to officers being diverted from the beat. Secondly, a lack of available police cells which often leaves suspects stewing in the back of vans and more likely to lash out. And finally, according to the SPF, a reluctance to use tasers more widely – a resource which the federation believes can act as a serious deterrent.
On the first question of resources, there is no doubt the force in Scotland has much more to do than it used to. With dementia taking hold for example, officers are increasingly dealing much more with vulnerable elderly people and they can occasionally be violent. The increase in cyber crime is also a profound change in what is required of the police and it has meant a reduction in uniformed officers on the beat.
However, it is also true that officer numbers have been maintained in recent years. When the SNP began its first term in government a decade ago, it promised it would always keep 1000 more police officers than it had inherited and it has kept that promise – until now. Officer numbers will be cut from 2018 onwards and, although the theory is that by moving officers from backroom to frontline there will be no effect on operational capacity, the risk is clearly there that the already tight resources will become tighter still.
The other factors which the SPF links to violent incidents are also complicated. On the question of a lack of police cells, there are bottlenecks at certain times of year (Christmas being an obvious one) and the longer someone is kept in the back of a police van, the risk grows of tempers flaring.
However, the idea of deploying tasers more widely is troubling. Tasers are currently carried only by specialist armed officers and there is a good reason for that – the armed officers are highly trained and are skilled at defusing a situation that could otherwise get out of control. There may be a case for more specialist officers, but the routine arming of officers will always be a step too far for Scotland.
Elsewhere, it is vital we do all we can to protect officers from violent attack. Body armour, which became routine following the death of Pc Lewis Fulton in Glasgow in the 1990s, has already made a difference; and we must remain vigilant to ensure that it is as good as it can be. All officers must also receive the highest level of training possible, with that one important aim always in mind: to protect those who protect us.
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