Police union: Tougher sentences needed for those who spit and cough on officers July 6, 2021, 12:03 am
There were at least 13 incidents of officers being deliberately coughed at, sneezed at or spat on in the first three months of this year (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Tougher sentences should be imposed on those who deliberately spit, cough or sneeze on police in a bid to infect them with Covid-19, the body which represents rank and file officers has insisted.
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) branded such incidents as being “disgusting and unpleasant” – and said that the coronavirus pandemic meant they brought a “new level of risk”.
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Tougher sentences should be imposed on people who deliberately try to infect police officers with Covid, according to the Scottish Police Federation.
The body which represents rank and file officers warned its members face a new level of risk .
More than 1,000 police assaults in the past year involved spitting or coughing or were otherwise linked to the virus.
The federation said this year alone there had been more than 420 cases of spitting recorded.
It said the culprits were often treated too leniently by the courts.
The federation said Chief Constable Iain Livingstone had made it clear violent and abusive behaviour against officers would not be accepted.
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Concerns have been raised over the mental health of police officers in Scotland after a new survey revealed around half are suffering from stress and burnout at work. The new wellbeing survey - which looked at the views of over 2000 officers – also suggests that the force is under-resourced and would struggle to fulfil its duties if officers stopped working overtime when they were due to be off. Commissioned by the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) and the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS), the 2020 Welfare and Wellbeing in Times of Covid Survey found that 28 per cent of respondents reported high levels of stress, while 57.6% reported moderate levels.