Gibraltar Police Federation is pushing for stricter sentencing for those who assault emergency workers, saying that police officers are “human beings, not punchbags”.
Maurice Morello, Chairman of the Gibraltar Police Federation, said that current sentences in Gibraltar were too lenient. He was speaking following the case of an officer who was dragged behind a car and whose assailant only received community service.
Maurice said: “One of our officers recently tried to arrest a man in a car, but he was dragged along the road at speed. The officer suffered extensive injuries and was signed off work for a period of time.
“The suspect was found guilty in the Supreme Court, but all he got was community service.
“The outcome of that wasn’t good enough for the extent of the injuries that the officer had – we are human beings, not punchbags.
“We would like to see stricter outcomes and sentences, like in the UK. All that sentence is showing is that whoever wants to can assault a police officer – you won’t go to jail. That’s not good enough for us; we want mandatory custodial sentences for those who assault emergency workers.”