Big rise in number of assaults on police

Two police officers are assaulted on the streets of Dundee every week, according to new figures.

Statistics released by the Liberal Democrats show a large rise in the number of people reported to the procurator fiscal for assaulting a police officer across the north and north-east.

In Aberdeen 267 people were reported in 2008-09, up just over 10% on the previous year. The total was more than 100 in Dundee, a city of comparable size, where 163 people were reported for assault on an officer, just one down on 2007-08.

West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Lib Dem MSP Mike Rumbles, described the figures as “wholly intolerable” and said they were a symptom of a deeper malaise that must be remedied.

“There are no circumstances where it is acceptable to assault a police officer,” he said.

“Police officers in Scotland do a fantastic job of protecting the public from crime and assaults against them while on duty are unacceptable.

He added: “However, police assault is part of the wider issue of crimes of violence which are often fuelled by alcohol and by binge drinking.

“There must be stronger enforcement of alcohol laws on the streets of Scotland, particularly on selling to people who are already drunk and minors under 18.

“We must tackle the root causes of crime if we are ever to stop assaults like these happening.”

At Elgin the number of people reported to the procurator fiscal went up from 82 in 2007-08 to 85 the following year. At Banff the figure shot up from three to 10. At Peterhead the number went up by nearly a third from 52 to 67, but Stonehaven had a drop by around the same percentage, from nine to six.

A Grampian Police spokes-man said: “The force takes its responsibility towards the safety and welfare of police officers very seriously. It is clear that an officer acting in the public's interest should not have to be subjected to an assault."

Inverness saw the number of people reported for assault on an officer go up from 110 in 2007-08 to 128 the following year, while Dingwall saw the number go up from 19 to 27, and Fort William went up from 18 to 39.

Both Dornoch and Wick saw reductions in the number of people reported to the fiscal – from six to four and from 29 to 14 respectively.

Outwith Dundee the figure increases across Tayside – from 56 to 69 at Arbroath, from 18 to 39 at Forfar, and from 118 to 161 in Perth.