Contribution
It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank the hon. Member for Portsmouth North (Amanda Martin) for securing the debate.
Our emergency services repeatedly put themselves in harm’s way to protect, serve and save our communities. Whether confronting criminals, responding to medical emergencies, rescuing people from danger or entering burning buildings, they carry out extraordinary acts of public service, often in the most challenging and dangerous circumstances. They should never have to accept threats, harassment or physical violence as simply part of the job. It is not what they signed up for and it is criminality. When they go to work to protect us, we have a responsibility to ensure that they are afforded the protections, respect and security they deserve.
We have heard in this debate about the scale of the problem. The statistics discussed demonstrate how torrid the situation is. The experience of the RNLI is particularly horrifying and completely unforgivable. Those figures represent more than just physical injuries. Violence and intimidation can lead to trauma and, in some cases, to people questioning whether to continue in a profession that they once felt was a calling. There is also a cost to the public. Every minute spent dealing with an assault, reporting an incident or recovering from an injury is a minute that could have been spent responding to an emergency and protecting someone in need.
That is why the Conservative Government backed the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 and then, through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, doubled the maximum penalty for such assaults to two years’ imprisonment and introduced Harper’s law, under which anyone who kills an emergency worker while committing a crime faces a life sentence. That was important recognition that assaults on those serving the public are abhorrent and that the law must deter them.
However, legislation is only as effective as its implementation. It is not enough to increase maximum penalties, as we did, if the sentences actually handed down do not reflect the seriousness of the offending. Sentencing Council data indicates that 25% of offenders or fewer receive immediate custody. Of course, not everyone should face imprisonment; it is not always appropriate. However, we must question whether judges are handing down sentences sufficiently strong to be a deterrent. Where someone deliberately assaulted an emergency worker carrying out their duties, the judge must impose a sentence that reflects the gravity of that, because the message should be sent that it will not be tolerated. No emergency worker should feel that reporting an assault is pointless or that they are left alone to deal with the consequences.
I also pay tribute to the volunteers who stand alongside our emergency services. Two particular groups protect the communities I serve. Rutland Community First Responders give their time freely, around the clock, to attend medical emergencies on behalf of the East Midlands ambulance service. In our rural communities—the hundreds of villages that I serve—those first responders can be the difference between life and death in the first critical minutes. They also teach residents how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is impossible to raise the subject of Rutland Community First Responders without mentioning the indefatigable Barbara Crellin, who is a real heart of our communities and the heart of that service.
The Leicestershire and Rutland 4x4 Response volunteers use their own vehicles to keep vital services running in severe weather. During the pandemic they delivered more than 1,000 pieces of medicine and protective equipment. They ask for nothing in return. I thank them for what they do. They deserve the same protection and respect as every emergency worker spoken about in this debate.
This debate is very simple, and we should advance a simple principle: those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the rest of us should not have to fear becoming victims themselves. They deserve our gratitude, but our gratitude alone is not enough; they deserve protection and assurances that the law will stand behind them
I would be grateful if the Minister would answer three questions. First, what assessment have the Government made of whether current sentencing outcomes undermine the deterrent effect of the legislation, and of whether they properly reflect the seriousness of these offences? Secondly, what steps are being taken to ensure that emergency workers who are assaulted receive proper support thereafter and that instances are properly investigated within emergency organisations? Thirdly, what further measures will the Government take to ensure that these protections translate into real improvements in the day-to-day safety of emergency workers? They run into danger to protect us all, and we must stand by them.