Law to deter attackers

Up to three years’ jail for assaults on nurses and teachers

Nurses and firefighters are to be pro­tected from assaults by a new law follow­ing an alarming series of attacks on public sector employees.

A new offence of assaulting a public servant, similar to the current crime of assaulting a police officer, is to be intro­duced by the Home Office this autumn. It will carry a penalty of up to three years in prison, the same as that for attacking a police officer.

The measure, which forms part of the next Criminal Justice Bill, will cover all officials on duty including traffic wardens, housing benefit staff and teachers.

In 2002, 65,000 National Health Ser­vice staff reported being assaulted, and unions say that increasing numbers of at­tacks are being carried out on firefighters and council workers. Exact statistics are not kept because such attacks are not a separate criminal offence.

A Home Office official said: "Anyone who assaults a nurse or a teacher is already committing a criminal offence, but this is not deterring people. We need to send a strong message mat it is not acceptable, ever, to hit a public servant."

Currently, many of those who attack" public servants are charged with common assault, which can often result in lenient sen­tences, particularly for first-time offenders.

Problems with the current law were highlighted in November 2002, when Frederick Jamison was given just 22 hours community service for grabbing a nurse's throat, headbutting her and throwing her against a wall at Lagan Valley Hospital, Northern Ireland. He then rampaged through the ward causing £1,200 dam­age. The victim, nursing sister Beth Ham­mond, was "extremely disappointed" by me lenient sentence.

There have been some recent alarming cases of other state employees being as­saulted. Firefighters in Port Talbot, south Wales, were stoned by yobs. In the past year, crews in the area have also reported being attacked with shopping trolleys, coins, bottles and bricks.

In Sunderland, a fire officer almost lost his life in one attack and mere have been 131 recorded assaults on 999 personnel since April, 2002. Fire crews were pelted with stones 50 times over mat period, and six ambulance officers injured.

Nationally there are hundreds of thousands of attacks on public service employees every year. Andy Gilchrist, of the Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel, said: "There is a desperate need to extend the legislation to all emergency services: There is growing frustration that there appears to be one law for the po­lice and another law for ourselves when it comes to bringing people to task. The" legislation needs beefing up"

Home Office officials have drawn up the proposal after the intervention of Tony Blair, who was concerned over a series of attack on nurses and firefighters. The Prime Minister first pledged tougher sentences for people who attack teachers, nurses and other public servants in a drive against "yob culture" during the general election campaign.

From "The Sunday Telegraph”

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14