Daily Mail - 17.08.2019

Daily Mail, Saturday, August 17, 2019 Page 5

Newlyweds: The Harpers were due to go on honeymoon next week

MPs unite

to condemn

‘sickening’

murder of

brave PC

By Larisa Brown

Political Correspondent

POLICE officers have been

left ‘dangerously exposed’

and the streets ‘unsafe’ as a

result of Government cuts,

MPs said yesterday.

Condemning the ‘sickening

murder’ of PC Harper, MPs

called on Home Secretary Priti

Patel to ‘get a grip’ and bring an

end to the ‘terrifying rise in vio-

lent crime’.

They also called for tougher jail

terms for those who attacked

officers, after shocking figures

revealed how many offenders

dodged prison altogether.

Independent MP John Wood-

cock said: ‘The whole country

will feel sorry at the terrible

death of PC Harper and fury at

the way sick criminals felt able

to target a police officer as he

tried to serve the public. The

new Home Secretary must get a

grip of the terrifying rise in vio-

lent crime on our streets.’

Earlier this week it emerged

the number of prolific offenders

avoiding prison for assaulting

police officers had almost dou-

bled over the past decade.

This was despite soaring lev-

els of attacks, with frontline

officers increasingly being bit-

ten, punched and kicked on

duty, according to The Times.

Last year 1,607 offenders with

at least 26 convictions or cau-

tions were not handed prison

sentences. The figure was

almost twice the 828 ‘super pro-

lific’ offenders who avoided jail

in 2008. Labour MP Wes Street-

ing said: ‘This sickening murder

of a police officer follows two

attempted murders in as many

weeks. No family should have to

go through what PC Harper’s

family are going through. We

can’t respond as though it is

business as usual.

‘Single crew deployments must

end immediately, sentences

should be strengthened to pro-

vide a tougher deterrent and we

need to provide better protec-

tive equipment to police, includ-

ing tasers...’

Meanwhile figures show more

than 20 emergency workers are

assaulted every day in the line of

duty with 4,000 attacks on police

officers, hospital staff and prison

officers in six months.

Merseyside Police Deputy

Chief Constable Serena

Kennedy appealed directly to

the attackers this week after six

of her officers were injured in a

24-hour window. DCC Kennedy

told the culprits: ‘My message

to those who carry violence

against police is this: please

remember, whatever you think

of us, one day you or your fami-

lies may need our help too.’

The incidents comes just days

after another officer – PC Gareth

Phillips, 42 – was knocked down

and driven over as he tried to

stop a suspected car thief in

Birmingham. The traffic officer,

who has served in the force for

nearly 20 years, remains in

intensive care.

In another attack that shocked

the nation last week, PC Stuart

Outten, 28, was attacked with a

machete after pulling over a van

driver in East London.

Meanwhile retired police officer

Norman Brennan – who heads

up the Protect the Protectors

campaign and served for 31

years – said last night: ‘What

we’re sick and tired of is, today

there will be platitudes from the

Prime Minister downwards.

Platitudes don’t challenge the

criminal justice system. Prom-

ises that are enacted do.’

keep breathing

Bath Road

BMW searched

Start of

blood trail

Large patch of blood. PC Harper is thought to have fallen here

Forensic officer

examining scene

One mile

ThealeTheale

M

Police officer killed

Sulhamstead

NORTH WESSEX

DOWNS

NORTH WESSEX

DOWNS

Suspected

route of car