Police Federation urges action after officer attacked

The Police Federation says South Yorkshire Police have adopted a ‘single crewing’ policy to make officers more visible on the streets.

But the federation’s South Yorkshire branch chairman, Neil Bowles, says common sense must prevail.

“In a situation where an incident could be dangerous there needs to be a proper risk assessment carried out swiftly, someone has to take responsibility and say ‘hang on a minute, wait for back up, this just isn’t safe for one officer alone’.

“It’s deplorable that an officer should be injured while trying to carry out his duties.”

His call comes after a lone officer suffered deep lacerations on his head when he tried to break up a row at the Mail Coach Inn, Wellgate, on Monday night, which allegedly started when a man was caught smoking.

He was taken to hospital after other officers arrived and three men were arrested.

The three appeared before Rotherham magistrates on Wednesday.

Michael Dolan (49), of Fitzwilliam Road, Eastwood, was charged with assault and possession of a firearm — the injured officer’s PAVA spray — and remanded in custody for a week.

Lewis Kent (23), of Fitzwilliam Road, Eastwood, and Darryl Kent, Adelaide Street, Maltby, were both charged with affray before being released on police bail.

Mr Bowles said 203 attacks on the county’s police officers had been reported to the Home Office between October 2011 and September this year. Three were classed as ‘serious’ and the other 200 as ‘slight’.

Five officers usually based in the Rotherham borough were currently off work with injuries sustained while making arrests.

Police man battered in pub bust-up.