Chief Constable condemns those who attack and assault officers

Chief Constable of Merseyside Police Serena Kennedy KPM has condemned those who attack and abuse officers after eight officers were injured in incidents this weekend.

Police were deployed to the King Harry guesthouse on Blessington Road in Anfield at around 6pm on Friday 26 April to reports an occupier had assaulted a woman at the premises.

Patrols attended and witnessed the man continue to shout abuse at staff in the venue. The officers attempted to restrain the man to prevent a further breach of the peace, at which point he assaulted seven of them.

The man spat blood into the mouth of one female officer before biting the hand of another and kicking one to the arm.

A 27-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on suspicion of six counts of assaulting an emergency worker, one of assault with intent to resist arrest and one of breaching the peace.

He has been conditionally bailed with strict bail conditions while a number of enquiries are progressed ahead of a file being passed to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider appropriate charges.

The scene was forensically examined and CCTV opportunities are being reviewed.

In a separate incident in the early hours of Saturday 27 April, patrols attended a report of a man with a large bulldog refusing to leave an address in St Helens. When officers arrived, he appeared to have a weapon in his possession and refused to restrain the dog, before running at officers making threats.

The patrols deployed Taser and PAVA spray to debilitate the man and they restrained him, a female officer sustained an injury to her hand.

A 38-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on suspicion of three counts of assaulting an emergency worker, possession of an offensive weapon, resisting arrest, making threats to commit criminal damage, Section 39 assault, and affray. He has been released under investigation while thorough enquiries are undertaken into the incident.

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: “I was shocked and saddened to hear of the violence and abuse my officers were subjected to this weekend.

“They are receiving support and I have  received updates on their welfare, and am pleased to say all are now recovering as well as can be expected.

“It is totally and utterly unacceptable for officers and staff to be assaulted or verbally abused in Merseyside.

"My officers put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public – the incidents they attend can be, by their nature, chaotic and  violent.

“They expect this and go to work each day knowing that they might have to step into a situation that most people would run away from in order to keep the people of Merseyside safe.

“But I will never accept anyone using violence, aggression or being abusive  towards officers and staff 

“When members of the public cross that line, they can expect to face the full force of the law.

If you have any further information about this incident, please contact our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook using reference 24000381922.
 
Or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at:  Giving information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)