Justice Minister condemns attacks on police officers

Justice Minister Naomi Long has condemned attacks on police officers following statistics released by the PSNI today.

The statistics show that in the last five years an average of eight police officers per day have been attacked.

The Minister said: “Attacks on police officers, indeed attacks on any public servant are totally unacceptable.  Everyone deserves to be able to carry out their duties without fear of attack or reprisal and those who carry out such attacks should feel the full force of the law being brought down upon them.

“That is why I intend to bring forward new legislation to reform the law on sentencing by increasing the maximum sentence for such attacks and making serious assaults on front line workers a statutory aggravating factor.”

Commenting on the impact such attacks have on PSNI officers, the Minister said: “The testimonies from officers clearly demonstrate the impact that assaults and attacks have on officers and their families, both physically and mentally. 

“I would like to place on record my appreciation to police officers and police staff for the critical role they play in keeping everyone in society safe and protected.” 

If you have information on any crime please contact the police or the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Notes to editors: 

1. Department of Justice media enquiries should be directed to the Department of Justice Press Office via email: press.office@justice-ni.gov.uk

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3. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted out of hours on 028 9037 8110.

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