TWO hundred police officers were assaulted while on duty in Dorset last year, figures have revealed.

The assaults range from inflicting GBH with intent to actual bodily harm.

The chairman of Dorset Police Federation – the ‘union’ for police officers – says the number of attacks highlights the “dangers” officers routinely face on the frontline.

In the latest incident a police officer suffered facial injuries while dealing with an altercation at Fairfield in the Bargates area of Christchurch in February.

A Dorset Police spokesman said the injured officer had been discharged after receiving hospital treatment.

Two teenagers were arrested and released on bail pending further inquiries.

The attack comes just weeks after PC Adam Carr suffered a serious head injury outside the Nationwide building society in Boscombe.

Attacks on cops have dropped in recent years from 306 in 2010, 302 in 2011 to 207 last year.

Dorset Federation chairman Clive Chamberlain said the drop in recorded assaults is partly due to a reduction in officer numbers in recent years.

He added: “It is a dangerous job and I think the statistics may have been coming down since Taser and pepper stray has been more widely available.

“That definitely makes some people think about whether they are going to have a go at an officer because they know there’s a raft of protection available to them.”

He said more “dynamic” self-defence training has helped officers deal with situations.

“Inevitably it is a dangerous job. People do get assaulted and badly hurt.

“It is good news that the numbers of officers assaulted have reduced but it concerns me that with less police officers to deal with the same number of incidents, and with further to travel to incidents, that we will potentially see more in the future.”

The number of people arrested in the county has fallen over the last three years by almost 4,000 from 18,303 in 2010 to 14,582 in 2012.

Adding up the stats

ASSAULTS ON OFFICERS:

  • 2010.................... 306
  • 2011.................... 302
  • 2012.................... 207
     

NUMBER OF ARRESTS IN DORSET:

  • 2010............... 18,303
  • 2011............... 16,576
  • 2012............... 14,58

​A man and a woman have been charged in connection with the assault on PC Adam Carr.