A study of the effects of being assaulted by a member of the public on the wellbeing of police officers in England and Wales

• In Event: Improving the wellbeing and resilience of police personnel

Abstract

Police officers regularly encounter violence and the chance of being assaulted by a member of the public whilst on duty is high. In England and Wales, legislative changes and the development of victim care frameworks have sought to not only reduce the number of assaults, but also the severity of the psychological harms experienced by officers. But are they working? This paper will present on the findings of semi-structured interviews conducted with police officers (n = 17) who had experienced an assault by a member of the public. It will emerge that assaults are a regular occurrence, and despite the devastating consequences on officers’ wellbeing and job satisfaction, it is not necessarily the case that assaults are taken seriously by police forces and the wider criminal justice system.

Authors

• Kathryn Sharratt, Crime and Policing Research Centre, University of Huddersfield

• Jason Roach, University of Huddersfield