'We will not tolerate assaults on police' say force as two officers a day are now being injured in Devon & Cornwall

There's calls for better long-term support for police, as a new University of Exeter study shows officers are twice as likely as the rest of us to suffer traumatic brain injuries.

On average two Devon and Cornwall police officers are assaulted each day and a review is ongoing to ensure staff are as protected as they can be.

The survey-based study, published in The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, found a connection between traumatic brain injuries and PTSD in police officers.

Authors say the findings 'raise concerns over the long-term effects on personal and professional lives and highlights the need for better action and support for officers who have sustained a head trauma in the workplace'.

Professor Stan Gilmour has 30 years’ experience in law enforcement and received The King’s Police Medal for his service. He is now a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Exeter and co-convenor of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association’s Neurodisability Special Interest Group. Professor Gilmour said: “Police officers are exposed to high-stress situations, physical confrontations, and the possibility of injury every day. Adding to that the increased risk of traumatic brain injuries and PTSD only compounds the challenges officers already face, and this study highlights the urgent need for better monitoring of head injuries and their long-term effects.”

The study surveyed 617 current serving frontline police officers from England, Scotland, and Wales and found 38 per cent had sustained at least one traumatic brain injury - defined as an injury to the head that caused someone to lose consciousness, or develop symptoms such as confusion, disorientation, or memory loss. This is compared to the rate of 12 per cent found in the general population. Of those officers, 61 per cent report they had experienced these types of injuries on multiple occasions.

Katie Clements is vice chair of Devon & Cornwall Police Federation, which has been highlighting the number of violent incidents against local officers.

She's suffered multiple injuries - which she refers to as a 'minor and much less than some colleagues' - including suffering permanent nerve damage, being left unable to speak and even having clothes ripped open.

She said: "I know that Devon & Cornall Police itself are reviewing those figures and looking at how we can address particular concerns, so they are looking at officers who are repeatedly assaulted for instance.

"The majority of officer injuries are towards our younger in-service colleagues - between zero and five years - the biggest reason for that is because most of our new recruits go into front line jobs."

She added: "I don’t wake up in the morning and think I'm going to have my breakfast, go to work and I'm going to come back with an injury because I've been assaulted.

"You've got to remember the job that police officers are doing is not a naturally safe job. We're going to people in crisis, we're dealing with violent situations. We are going into situations that a lot of people run away from but two-a-day is a lot and obviously we don't want to see officers being injured.

"It has a knock-on effect, not only on their ability to perform their role on that day - so for instance I had to take time off because I couldn't drive and I couldn't speak - but the colleagues who are then backfilling position."

Devon and Cornwall's police commissioner's told us she'd like to see the maximum punishments routinely handed out to those who assault her officers

Alison Hernandez said: "Frankly it's quite disgraceful the level of assaults we get on any of our emergency workers. In fact even our retail workers, the fact we've had to change the law so that if you assault a retail worker you should get a harsher sentence as well.

"The last Government increased the sentencing to up to two years extra if you assault a police officer or an emergency worker and I'm yet to see a full two-year result of that as a sentence. Our prisons are full and we have got some challenges about making sure that those harsher sentences are being carried out."

What has Devon and Cornwall Police said?

Chief Inspector Alexander Cooper said: “Emergency workers are regularly subjected to assaults on a daily basis. These can include serious injury, verbal abuse, spitting and biting and even sexual assault from those they are trying to help.

“Operation Hampshire is a national approach to support police officers and staff and aims to have a clearer understanding of the impact of assaults and why reporting is so important along with supporting literature and guidance. This has been launched in force and extensive support is always offered to officers or staff that have been assaulted.

“1,006 Devon and Cornwall Police officers were assaulted in 2024 in the course of their duties whilst delivering policing, keeping people safe and protecting our communities. That’s an average of more than 19 a week. More than 2 every single day. During their careers, each police officer is likely to encounter between 400 to 600 traumatic events. Most citizens will experience between three or four in their lifetime.

“Sadly, however, it is thought these figures do not represent the entirety of assaults, as many are never reported by the victims. The 2018 Act, as amended by s.2 PCSC Act 2022, makes provision for increased sentencing powers for offences of common assault and battery committed against an emergency worker. For an offence committed on or after 28 June 2022 the maximum sentence is now two years imprisonment. Offences committed prior to this date are subject to a maximum sentence of 12 months.

“Although staff are unfortunately resigned to the fact that assaults whilst on duty can happen it is unacceptable that they suffer physical assault including being punched and kicked, abused and spat at. It can leave a long-lasting impact on officers and staff who demonstrate commitment, courage and dedication on a daily basis. We do our best to provide support and care to our people and teams, but this should not happen in the first place.

“We will not tolerate assaults on our emergency services and will actively seek to bring criminal proceedings against offenders.”

First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app.