Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Holly Lynch

Wednesday 23rd November 2016 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My right hon. Friend will, of course, be waiting in anticipation for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor’s autumn statement, but he is absolutely right that, as we look at improving productivity in this country and as we look to the economy of the future, the provision of superfast broadband and those new technological opportunities for people is absolutely a crucial part of that, and that is something that this Government recognise and will act on.

[Holly Lynch (Halifax) (Lab)]

Q8. One day last week, four police officers in my constituency were assaulted over a single 24-hour period. There were over 23,000 assaults on police officers last year, and an assault on a police officer is an assault on society. What will the Prime Minister do to ensure that the toughest deterrents are in place to protect front-line officers, and when will she reduce the need for unsafe single crewing by restoring the number of police on our streets?

[The Prime Minister]

May I send our best wishes to those police officers who were assaulted in the hon. Lady’s constituency last week? It is important that we recognise that when police officers go out on duty—and, indeed, for many off duty—they sometimes find themselves intervening in situations where they are on the receiving end of assaults and violence against them. They are willing to go forward in the line of duty, where others are not, and we recognise that. One of the things we want to do in relation to this is to identify rather better the number of assaults that are taking place. That is why last year we issued some provisional figures. We are improving those figures now this year. Sentencing guidelines already allow for an assault on a police officer to be taken as an aggravating factor into account, but also new developments, like the body-worn videos, actually help to provide the evidence that ensures that people can be brought to justice and that actually deter assaults in the first place.