Calls for better protection for police after West Midlands officers injured
Four officers were treated in hospital after being sprayed in the face with a substance.
Last updated 19th May 2024
There are calls for increased protection for police officers after four from the West Midlands force were sprayed with a substance, thought to be ammonia.
The officers were called to a block of flats in Tyburn in the early hours of Thursday (16 May), after a man had barricaded himself in a property.
They arrived to find a small fire in the stairwell, which was put out by the officers.
They were then sprayed with the unknown liquid and were taken to hospital for treatment.
The officers have since been released from hospital and are currently off work while recovering.
Deputy chair of West Midlands Police Federation, Jase Dooley, renewed the branch’s calls for all officers to carry a Taser.
He said: “Our thoughts are with the officers. We’ve been in contact with them and are offering them all the support we can.
“They were worried about being blinded at the time.
“They’ve got families to go home to at the end of the shift, partners, children. And it’s a huge worry for them as well, worried that their loved one has had a chemical thrown in their face.
“How do you protect officers in situations like this? How far do you go?
“For us, it reinforces that officers should have Taser training and be able to carry Taser if they want it.
“Time and time again we’re seeing officers attacked and assaulted and they deserve protection when doing their duty."