On this page you will find case studies from serving officers and staff who share their experiences of Operation Hampshire and assaults at work.
If you wish to share your experiences with us please contact us.
Lorna McEwan, British Transport Police
For me in my role as tactical lead for Operation Hampshire at British Transport Police, and as a leader of multiple geographic teams, ensuring that when any of us become the victims of an assault or hate crime when on duty is not normalised.
Being assaulted or suffering a hate crime is never an acceptable part of our job.
Having seen the impact that this can have on colleagues and friends has made me a passionate advocate for Operation Hampshire and I'm always looking at ways to improve, support and learn from feedback.
I have personally seen how colleagues can feel or respond after being a victim – sometimes feeling they shouldn’t talk about it as its 'just' an assault. I have also seen colleagues getting really angry and not realising why and when we reflected back, it was due to multiple hate crimes against them building up and causing them to feel like this.
One case that personally resonates with me was when one of my team felt they couldn’t go out as they thought they would not make good decisions, this was due to built up anger inside them after being assaulted.
None of us should feel like this when we are at work which is why having Operation Hampshire is so important and ensuring it is embedded from start to finish so if any of us become victims we'll feel supported.
Lee Johnson, Lincolnshire Police
Op Hampshire has been a welcome introduction and has brought a much-needed national focus to what is an ongoing and challenging issue of assaults against police officers.
When studying for my Doctorate, there was little UK research on assaults and a lack of wider public or Government focus on this area. The risk to police officers is now in the public conscience and there is work to bring about national consistency across all police forces on the recording of assaults and the support offered to officers and staff following an assault, hopefully creating better outcomes and ensuring that all of those harmed have access to support.
Impactful change can only come about when based on valid data and analysis. By encouraging reporting and recording assaults through showing that police forces and the Government are taking them seriously, means that there will be a better understanding of assaults and we can all work together to reduce their number.
Having been assaulted and having to explain injuries or the reason for blood tests to family members and loved ones is difficult, especially if they do not work with the police. I have been scratched, spat at and punched all for doing my job and such behaviour cannot be tolerated.
There is a lot of work to do, and Op Hampshire is a major step in the right direction. There is a need to remove the view that assaults are ‘part of the job’ and challenge prevailing occupational police culture(s), as well as working with our partners in the CPS and the courts on outcomes and our communities on trust and confidence. With these and other key factors as well as a better understanding of assaults from the data and personal experiences we will be able to work towards a consistent approach where assaults and risk are reduced.