Shocking pictures have emerged of the injuries a police officer sustained after an attack over the weekend.

The officer was assaulted after attending an incident in York on Sunday night – and images shared on social media show blood pouring down the victim’s face.

A 17-year-old was arrested in connection with the incident and remains in custody.

North Yorkshire Police warned that anyone who assaults an emergency worker should expect “swift, decisive action”.

 

Read more: North East has highest levels of attacks on emergency workers

It comes as new data shows attacks on emergency workers in parts of the North East are higher than anywhere in the country, according to recently released data.

Home Office figures show that violence and abuse against emergency crews from Durham were recorded more often than almost every other part of England last year.

Overall, those working for police, fire and ambulance units across the whole Durham patch recorded 658 assaults in the year to March 2022.  

In the aftermath of the data release, the Police Federation has described the "appalling" rise in offences nationally as a stain on society and said emergency workers should be able to carry out their duties safely.

Across England and Wales, 44,600 emergency worker assaults were recorded in 2021-22 – a rise of 10 per cent from the 40,400 the year before.

Since the Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill came into law in 2018, the maximum prison sentence for common assault on an emergency worker has been 12 months.

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