ASSAULTS on police officers and staff remain “unacceptably high” despite numbers being down for the first time since 2015, according to the latest figures.

There were 7,046 recorded incidents in 2021/22 which includes officers and staff being punched, kicked, and bitten while carrying out their duties.

Despite a decrease of 251 incidents compared to the previous year the latest figure is 8.6% higher than the five year average.

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor explained that these kind of incidents are not “simply part of the job”.

She said: “Being the victim of an assault can have a long lasting impact both physically and mentally.

"Police officers and staff are no different and violence directed towards them when they’re trying to keep people safe is deplorable.

"The wider impact can also affect the communities we serve if officers need time away from police duties to recover.

"It’s not simply part of the job, it’s not acceptable and it will not be tolerated.”

The figures have been published as part of Police Scotland’s Quarter Four Performance Report which has been released for the period April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.

Over the weekend of May 28-29 alone, there were four assaults against officers working in Glasgow and Edinburgh with injuries including a broken finger, a lacerated knee, head, and facial injuries, and being bitten while helping a man in custody.

This report will be presented at the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee on Tuesday, June 7.

Under the Your Safety Matters initiative additional focus has been brought to violence and abuse against officers and staff.

Operational Safety Training has been enhanced to increase the annual refresher course from one day to two days and new techniques and de-escalation tactics have been introduced.

Updated guidance for officers and staff has also been published to support better reporting of health and safety incidents and assaults, as well as a data dashboard to enable in-depth analysis and identify repeat offenders.

Police Scotland reached an agreement with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal this year to introduce impact statements during sentencing, which means the impact of the violence can be heard and taken into consideration by the courts when sentencing an individual convicted of assaulting a police officer or member of staff.

The uplift programme aiming to increase Specially Trained Officers (STOs) who carry a taser, which can offer an additional tactical option continues.