Police punched and bitten in weekend attacks

Ten police officers and police community support officers were assaulted over the weekend, Cheshire's chief constable has said, with some being punched and kicked in the head.

Mark Roberts said officers were also pushed and bitten during attacks across the county on Saturday and Sunday.

Condemning the attacks, he said his officers and police community support officers were assaulted while "simply trying to do their job".

"Nobody should have to come to work and expect that they will be verbally or physically assaulted," he added.

"While the nature of policing inevitably requires officers to deal with violent and challenging situations, that does not mean that our officers can be used as punchbags," said Chief Constable Roberts.

"Unfortunately this figure is not unusual," he said, adding that officers often have to take time off work following assaults.

This not only has a detrimental effect on resourcing, he said, but can also increase the pressure on fellow officers.

A force spokesperson said none of the officers had sustained serious injuries this weekend.

Cheshire Police said it had spoken out about the attacks because it wanted to highlight what officers go through every weekend and to say "enough is enough".

Assaulting a police officer is a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison.

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