South Yorkshire Police to introduce spit guards
From early next year spit guards are going to be used on crime suspects in South Yorkshire
Police officers in South Yorkshire are going to start using spit guards on suspects.
They're pieces of of see-through fabric to prevent them from spitting or biting police officers.
Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts says it's because they keep being spat at:
“We currently have around nine incidents a week of our officers and staff being spat at, which is simply unacceptable.
“The safety of our officers and staff is important and use of spit guards is one way we can off**er additional protection.
“That said, the safety of any individual brought into police custody is also an important consideration. The spit guards we will be using are see-through, so people aren’t disorientated when they have them on, as well as enabling our officers to monitor for any health issues or changes in behaviour.”
We'll see them on officers from next year.