Avon and Somerset police will introduce spit hoods

Police officers have recounted the terrifying moment that someone infected with hepatitis C spat infected blood and saliva at their faces.

And this is just one of a number of incidents faced by those working on the front line, according to Avon and Somerset Constabulary, as they announce the decision to introduce spit hoods from January 2018.

Branded “cruel and degrading” by human rights group Liberty, the use of the mesh guards that fit over the head have divided opinion across the Nation, with campaigners saying their use is “extreme and primitive”.

But the force says assaults against officers has doubled recently, with 79 of the 387 incidents recorded since April 2017 involving spitting, prompting the decisions to use the hoods in situations where someone has spat, attempted to do so, or is threatening to spit.

“The increase in reports of spitting against our officers has convinced us that we need spit guards to protect ourselves,” says assistant chief constable Stephen Cullen.

Assistant chief constable Stephen Cullen

“Each day, we face being spat at, putting us at risk of HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis and the degrading assault can have a lasting psychological impact.

“Only last week, a woman with hepatitis C was spitting infected blood and saliva at four female officers as they looked after her for 11 hours in custody. The only protection currently available was riot helmets to protect their faces.

“We believe our officers should have the right kit to do their job and this includes spit guards. We also hope their introduction will deter people from spitting at police officers in the first place.”

The force says a spit guard will only be used when an officer’s body-worn camera is switched on and their use will be recorded and the data will be made public.

Police officers have shared stories of the ordeals they have faced on the job.

“There are two types of spitting. Spontaneous spit and spit as a weapon – when someone spits knowing they are infected – and is deliberately putting those around them at risk,” says Sergeant John Sergeant.

“On November 7, we got a call at 11pm from an off duty paramedic, who stopped to help a woman in the road. He helped her up and she punched him. So he called us.

“We arrested her for being drunk and disorderly and assaulting a PC. In the van she said: ‘The first person I see I will spit in their face and I’m contaminated’.

“She has hepatitis C. We needed to get her out of the van and into a cell. She was continually spitting, spit that was bloody. It was disgusting; she was trying to infect us.

“The only kit I could offer my officers to protect themselves was riot helmets. We needed to remove her clothes for her safety, yet all the time she was spitting at us.

“Still concerned about protecting her dignity, four female officers borrowed ill-fitting riot gear and stepped up to help. We were all double gloved but it was terrifying, worrying about what was getting onto our skin.

“We protected the woman for 11 hours, it was so challenging we took turns to do 30 minute shifts. It was exhausting.

“After the shift we all went home to our kids wondering what we were taking home. This type of experience affects officers. And it happens on a daily basis.”

The mesh spit hoods cover the entire face

Supporting the decision to introduce the use of spit hoods, Vince Howard, chairman of Avon and Somerset Police Federation, said: “This option affords those officers, who are increasingly subject to this abhorrent act, the opportunity to protect themselves from the risks of serious communicable diseases.”

Avon and Somerset will join 25 other forces in the country using spit guards. They will be rolled out for use in January, once officers have completed training.

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