Found: Bills The Committee requested that the Department produce a memorandum for the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act

Found: reverses the approach originally adopted by the CPS after the passage of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act

Found: reverses the approach originally adopted by the CPS after the passage of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act

Found: In particular, the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 is an example of an enactment

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 20 July 2026 to Question 16871, how many further such cases involving assaults against emergency workers have been heard and dealt with since 29 June 2026; what the outcome was in each of those cases; and what the outcome was in each of the 64 cases referred to in the Answer as having previously been dealt with.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Between 29 June and 11 September 2026, 118 trial cases involving offences under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 were listed for hearing and 68 have been dealt with.

Of these 67 cases, the outcomes were as follows:

• 17 cases - defendants pleaded guilty

• 15 cases - prosecution offered no evidence

• 8 cases – defendants acquitted after trial

• 13 cases - defendants convicted after trial

• 15 cases - defendants given bind overs.

In this period, 40 cases were also sentenced of which 24 were effective.

The outcome of the 64 cases between 6 April and 29 June 2026 were as follows.

• 19 cases - defendants pleaded guilty

• 15 cases - prosecution offered no evidence

• 17 cases - defendants acquitted after trial

• 6 cases - defendants convicted after trial

• 7 cases - defendants given bind overs.

Those where prosecution offered no evidence or defendants were acquitted after trial did not proceed to another hearing.

It should be noted that the decision to list a case is taken by the independent judiciary. This data has been manually collated from locally held operational records and is unpublished management information. It is not subject to the same level of quality assurance as official published statistics. Figures are subject to change as case records are updated or amended.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent aggression faced by RNLI volunteers; and what plans they have to support those who serve on lifeboats, particularly in light of their inclusion in the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 as search and rescue personnel.

Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government values the vital work of emergency service workers and has taken action to strengthen protections and underline the seriousness of offences committed against them. That is why the law on assaults against emergency workers, including RNLI personnel, and the associated penalties are kept under regular review.

Volunteers for organisations like the RNLI and HM Coastguard provide a vital service, often in the most challenging circumstances, and there is no place for abuse, intimidation or threats – whether in person or online. The RNLI and HM Coastguard are currently reviewing their security procedures and have put in place enhanced welfare arrangements.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions there have been under section 1 of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 in each of the last five years, broken down by sentencing outcome.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of prosecutions together with the sentencing outcome for a wide range of offences in the Outcome by Offences Tool, including Assaults on Emergency Workers. This can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Deputy Prime Minister sets out vision for the justice system, 24 February 2026, what information his Department holds on the number of cases involving assault of an emergency worker have been dealt with since the commencement of Blitz courts in London in April 2026.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We inherited a criminal courts system in crisis. There are over 80,000 criminal cases currently waiting to be heard in the Crown Court, which means that some victims – and those seeking to clear their name – are waiting years for justice. Only by pulling every lever we have – investment, efficiency and structural reform – can we turn the tide on the backlog and begin to deliver swifter justice for all.

The Deputy Prime Minister has announced several measures we are taking forward to drive efficiency, including enabling the Crown Court judiciary - through the allocation of unlimited sitting days - to undertake targeted approaches to listing to enable cases can be resolved more quickly and efficiently.

Judges based at the Old Bailey, but hearing cases from across London, are using targeted listing to help reduce further court delays that have left some emergency workers waiting years for justice after being attacked while protecting the public.

Between 6 April and 29 June 2026, 107 cases involving offences under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 were listed for hearing. Of these, 64 have been dealt with already.

It should be noted that the decision to list a case is taken by the independent judiciary. This data has been manually collated from locally held operational records and is unpublished management information. It is not subject to the same level of quality assurance as official published statistics. Figures may be subject to change as case records are updated or amended.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on compensation awards resulting from the offence of Assault on an Emergency Worker by type of emergency worker.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of compensation orders and average amount of compensation at criminal courts in England and Wales for a wide range of offences including assault on an emergency worker in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics

However, the type of emergency worker assaulted under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 is not held centrally in the Court Proceedings database. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total value of compensation awarded for cases of assaults on Emergency Workers was since 2019.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of compensation orders and average amount of compensation at criminal courts in England and Wales for a wide range of offences including assault on an emergency worker in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics

However, the type of emergency worker assaulted under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 is not held centrally in the Court Proceedings database. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, how many charges for Assault on an Emergency Worker were not proceeded with by the CPS in each of the last 5 years.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds management information on offences derived from its Case Management System (CMS) and associated Management Information System (MIS).

CPS offence-level data can be used to report on the number of offences charged and reaching a first hearing at the magistrates’ court. However, this data does not include outcome information for specific offences.

Accordingly, the CPS does not hold centrally retrievable data to identify how many charges for Assault on an Emergency Worker were not proceeded with. To obtain this information would require a manual review of individual case files.

However, to provide context on the volume of cases involved, the table below shows the number of offences for Assault on an Emergency Worker which were charged and reached a first hearing at the magistrates’ court over the last five calendar years under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018:

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, how many of the cases of charges for assault on emergency workers was the public interest test cited as the reason for discontinuation.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold centrally retrievable data on the reasons for discontinuation at an offence level within its Case Management System (CMS) and associated Management Information System (MIS).

While the CPS applies the Code for Crown Prosecutors, including both the evidential and public interest tests, the specific reasons for decisions are recorded within individual case records rather than in a structured, searchable format.

Accordingly, the CPS is unable to provide the number of cases where the public interest test was cited as the reason for discontinuation in Assault on Emergency Worker cases. To obtain this information would require a manual review of individual case files.

However, to provide context on the volume of cases involved, the table below shows the number of offences for Assault on an Emergency Worker which were charged and reached a first hearing at the magistrates’ court over the last five calendar years under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018:

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, how many Assault on Emergency Worker prosecutions proceeded where AEW was the only remaining charge.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds management information on offences derived from its Case Management System (CMS) and associated Management Information System (MIS).

CPS offence-level data can be used to report on the number of offences charged and reaching a first hearing at the magistrates’ court. However, this data does not include outcome information for specific offences.

Accordingly, the CPS does not hold centrally retrievable data to identify how many charges for Assault on an Emergency Worker were not proceeded with. To obtain this information would require a manual review of individual case files.

However, to provide context on the volume of cases involved, the table below shows the number of offences for Assault on an Emergency Worker which were charged and reached a first hearing at the magistrates’ court over the last five calendar years under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018:

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, if the CPS will publish internal guidance and policy documents relating to charging decisions in Assault on Emergency Worker cases.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General

The Crown Prosecution Service updated its guidance for prosecuting offences relating to the Assault on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 in June 2025. Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 | The Crown Prosecution Service.

The update ensures prosecutors consider the full range of available offences and adopt a more flexible, case by case approach to selecting the most appropriate charge.

Found: proportion of incidents against emergency workers that take 13 As defined in Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act

Found: (Amendment) Order 2014 Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act

Found: (Amendment) Order 2014 • Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 • The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act

Found: Act 1997, s.4A H Page 125 of 131 Assault on an emergency worker Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act

Found: Protection from Harassment Act 1997, s.4A H Assault on an emergency worker Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act

Found: Act 1997, s.4A H Page 125 of 131 Assault on an emergency worker Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act