Nine PSNI officers ‘kicked, punched and beaten’ over the weekend

The PSNI have condemned “appalling” attacks on nine of their officers over the weekend.

In a statement on Monday the PSNI said the officers from Derry City & Strabane were “kicked, punched, bitten and spat on” as they dealt with four separate incidents, “three in the Strabane area and one in the city”.

They said that some of the officers were hit on the head with glass and verbally abused.

Officers were responding to calls for services and some of them had to come off their shifts to receive medical treatment, while others stayed on duty, the PSNI said.

Five arrests have been made in relation to the incidents and one person has been charged for offences including assault on police.

Of the four others arrested, two have been released on bail while two remain in custody.

Superintendent Sinead McIldowney said the officers were “helping people, trying to prevent people coming to harm, when they were kicked, verbally abused, bitten, spat on and punched”.

“It is appalling,” she said. “To go to work and be assaulted should never be considered as part of the job.”

She said the force is supporting its officers so “they are able to deal with these situations”.

She added that officers work “to keep people safe” in “what can be dangerous circumstances” which should not be “taken for granted”, and “assaults on officers should never be seen as acceptable”.