Female police officers face daily assaults, with over 12 injured every day in the UK

At least 12 female police officers are left injured after assaults by criminals every day, shocking figures reveal, writes Tony Whitfield. Overall, 4,399 were injured after being attacked, while 4,641 were assaulted without injury in the 12 months to March. Despite making up just 36% of the rank and file, more than half of officers injured, and just under half of those assaulted, are female.

Over the same period, 8,092 male officers were injured following an assault and 10,120 were assaulted. The figures from 42 police forces in England and Wales showed for a further 2,317 assaults, the sex of the officers were unknown.

The risks female officers face were exposed in horrific mobile phone footage of PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook being attacked by student Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, at Manchester Airport last July. He was seen to floor PC Ward with a punch to the face which broke her nose, and also knocked PC Cook to the ground. PC Ward told Liverpool Crown Court last month she remembered "falling on the floor and everything went black" after a "really forceful" blow to her face. "As I came round, all I could feel was blood pouring out of my nose," she said. "I was terrified to be honest. I was absolutely terrified. I had never experienced that level of violence towards me in my life."

Amaaz was found guilty of assaulting PC Ward, causing actual bodily harm, and the assault of PC Cook following a four-week trial. He has yet to be sentenced. Tiff Lynch, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales said: "Assaults on police officers are not 'part of the job', they are criminal acts, and they must be treated as such. These figures are a stark reminder of the daily risks our brave officers face while protecting the public."