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Police (Assault Injuries)

Volume 951: debated on Monday 12 June 1978

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asked the Attorney-General if, having regard to the increase in the number of police officers injured as a result of assault while on duty, as evidenced by the reply of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Official Report, 4th May, c. 433, he will ask the Lord Chancellor to convene a sentencing conference to discuss the considerations arising in the context of sentences for such offences, including the importance of reducing the incidence of the said offences.

Sentencing conferences at which sentencing policy in cases of assaults of all kinds, including assaults on police officers are discussed, are already convened for judges, magistrates and others concerned with sentencing policy. In giving general guidance to magistrates regarding sentencing matters, my noble Friend has on a number of occasions, drawn particular attention to the need for the courts when determining sentences to reflect the seriousness of these offences and the need to afford adequate protection to police officers and other persons whose duties make them particularly vulnerable to unlawful violence.