Has policing become more dangerous?


These guns were taken off the streets of Manchester recently

As four men face jail terms for killing policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky, many officers say they are facing increasing danger on the streets.

Pc Beshenivsky, 38, was shot during a robbery at a travel agents in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in November 2005.

The mother-of-three died after a round missed the bullet-proof part of her body armour.

Yusuf Abdillh Jamma has been found guilty of murdering Pc Beshenivsky, while Muzzaker Imtiaz Shah earlier admitted to her murder.

Brothers Faisal and Hassan Razzaq were cleared of murder but found guilty of her manslaughter.

Pc Beshenivsky's friend and colleague, Pc Teresa Milburn, was injured in the same robbery.

Research carried out by the Police Federation for England and Wales earlier this year found 40,000 officers had been faced with a knife and 7,000 threatened with a gun during the last two years.

Paul Tonks, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, said during his 28 years' service there had "always been" colleagues injured but the job had become more dangerous recently.

He said: "The easiest way to show this is that now officers wear a stab and ballistic-proof vest and are issued with a CS incapacity spray.

"They are also issued with a baton which is far more effective than those issued 28 years ago."

One of Pc Tonks' colleagues was shot and injured in Wolverhampton in November 2006. Two years ago another West Midlands officer, Detective Constable Michael Swindells, was stabbed to death.

Knife threat

Pc Tonks' concerns over safety are echoed throughout the police service. Pc Tonks said the carrying of guns and knives was a "worrying trend".

He expressed concern at the amount of firearms in circulation and the "ease with which they can be obtained".

But he added: "Firearms have been used against police, but it's still extremely unusual."

The la-*test*-('") crime figures included a 10% rise in robberies at gunpoint.

'Very violent'

Pc Norman Brennan said violent crime had "shot through the roof" during his 27 years with the Metropolitan Police.

Pc Brennan, who founded the pressure group Protect the Protectors, said: "Britain is very violent and the increasing violence against police mirrors that faced by other people in society."

He said: "I have taken on people with knives at least three times and one time I got stabbed in the chest, which nearly cost my life. It had a devastating impact."

When he was stabbed in 1985, he had only been back at work for five weeks after more than a year off recovering from another traumatic attack.

Pc Brennan said the number of firearms offences committed each week had gone up from "just a handful" 30 years ago, to more than 230. He said some gangs were using Kalashnikov rifles and machine pistols able to fire 40 or 50 bullets in rapid succession.

Home Office figures showed 17,525 people were found guilty or cautioned for "assault on a constable" in England and Wales in 2004 - over 5,000 more than 10 years earlier.

A survey by Jane's Police Review in March found 21,845 assaults on officers in 51 forces across the UK last year. Most forces showed year-on-year increases, but one in three forces recorded a fall.

Deaths on duty

Despite this apparent rise in danger, the number of police officers killed on duty as a result of criminal acts in Britain has not risen sharply.

Police Memorial Trust figures show 27 officers were killed in the 1970s, 42 in the 1980s, 21 in the 1990s and 15 since 2000.

Those figures do not include police officers killed in Northern Ireland.

The trust, which erects memorials to officers killed on duty, was set up by film producer Michael Winner after the death of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher in 1984.

Mr Winner is a vocal advocate of arming police officers, a view shared by Pc Brennan, who said it was only due to "wonderful advances in medical science" that more police officers in Britain had not died from their injuries.

But the Police Federation said its most recent survey suggested 77% of officers rejected the arming of frontline officers.

Pc Brennan, who drives a 999 response car, said increasing attacks meant police morale was low and they felt they were not fully supported by the public and "contemptuous sentences" for police assaults.

But Pc Tonks said attacks on police did not seem to deter new recruits: "The waiting list for people wanting to join is fairly long. People see it as a vocation and that's commendable."

Source: BBC News

We often have this conversation at work and the consensus is that everyone believes it has become more violent out on the streets for us all. Even the ones that have been in for quite a while have also said it is more dangerous for us now then before.

Like you guys though our deaths on duty haven't risen, however our assaults on Police have sharply risen with a huge rise on spitting, biting and needle stick attacks.

Just goes to show that we all need to take care out there and get home at the end of the shift.

Until the courts give proper punishments to those who attack and kill police officers then things will just kee getting worse.
It's sad but true knowing that the new year will only bring further officers killed and seriously injured

I agree but I do not think policing has become more dangerous, and I believe that technology is the main factor in this. In 2006, there was one criminal act that led to the death of a police officer. In 1900, it was 8, and that was just for one police force. In all honesty, I think being a police officer is the safest it's ever been ... but I'm just a special

Probably more dangerous being a teacher having to breathe in all that chalk dust

Yea health and safety at work act, I'd ask for a respirator

I think it has become more dangerous, when I was growing up we had respect for the police and if you stepped out of line you got a well deserved clip around the ear

Now no one has respect for us, badge of honour to attck a polcie officer, the weeks after getting stuck with a needle are the worst, the waiting, the thinking, the fear of speading it to your family, ugh its horrible

Can imagine mate.

Yes have to agree with Sarge there. Having been spat in the face twice, and bitten once, there is nothing worse then the fear and unknown whilst awaiting the 6 month period. One of the spitting offenders took great delight in telling me she was Hep C Positive and hoped I would get it. Capsicum spray modified her attitude but it was a stressful time waiting to be cleared, thankfully I was!! It is without a doubt one of the worst experiences you can go through as an officer.

I didn't realise that this topic would cause such a stir in opinions!

We all love a bit of debate

Despite shining my backside, in the training unit. I volly'd for a night duty with my old team last night.

Well I'm a big lad, F601, 18.5 stone (118kgs) bit of a gut, but mainly "pikey built" as me auld nan used to say. (That was until I threw her off the tower block roof insulting old cow anyway.) The point is I was on edge all night because of this.

Last night (00:20) we had a call to a mental health 'halfway house' where 2 residents had a fight. One of them (the agressor) had a minor head injury which required stitches. Niether wanted to know anyway we end up taking him to the hospital and waiting for 5 hours to have assessed by the Phsyc consultant. He was ranting about Broadmoor all through the ride there and the wait.

We do a check on the natinal computer and we find about the offence he was in Broadmoor for. His Method was shown on the pooter as,

By XXXXXX kicking victim in head several times, dragging him down to cellar. Stabbed over 20 times in chest/heart in an attempt to cut it out. Stabbed in neck twice and slashed on neck. Stabbed in eyes with piece of wood, and then wood forced down throat. Victim was earlier beaten round head with own crutches.

His girlfriend who told him to do it, it became apparent that his girlfriend only existed in his head.


This was in 1996, he is now out and about free as a bird. Him and his "mate" were sitting around in one of the rooms, when XXXXXX jumped up and started to puch F^ck out of "mate". Apparently XXXXXX's girlfriend had just told him that "mate" tried it on with her when he was out of the room having a pee!!!!!!!!!!



Yep, no girls were in the whole house at the time or in the last 3 days. On top of all that he hates Police, uniforms or authority because they remind him of Broadmoor.


Police more dangerous, Nahhhhhhhhhhh!

Jim, I start nights on Friday if you want to come out to play

Seriously thou even in my job, it's becoming more dangerous, We're mainly single crewed due to lack of No's which means there's less officers to back you up when you hit your button or scream (thank god for the Met, they love a scrap and will always turn out when we shout ) over the years assaults have been on the increase, one dog handler has been off since Aug when 2 rival gangs kicked off. I've had my nose broken, had a chunk bitten out of my bicep, two years ago, some officers stumbled across a full on gun battle. The list is very long so I won't continue with the examples but the point is, for those who don't know me is that I work as a Parks police officer within the safe and tranquil surroundings of quiet and relaxing parks, commons and open-spaces

WATCH OUT FOR THE BIN!!!

Sorry had to throw that in there,

I'm due surgery next week on my knee, broke some cartalidge when I fell chasing a suspect does that count??

Cheers Al

Good luck with the Op mate

And that was just in the canteen at Tooting on the training day!!