ANYONE wondering why we are seeing a huge increase in the incidence of violent attacks on police and emergency workers, need look no further than the judge at Portsmouth Crown Court, who last week allowed 31-year-old thug who attacked an emergency worker and repeatedly battered a police officer about the head with a metal club, to walk out of court with a ludicrously inadequate 18-month suspended sentence.

What sort of message does that send to other scum?

Assaulting police officers and emergency workers should carry an automatic, non-negotiable, absolute minimum of five years behind bars with no prospect of early release or right of appeal.

As long as liberal, bleeding-heart judges, like the one responsible for this miscarriage of justice, continue to show more concern for the violent offenders who come before them, than they do for the victims of their crimes, these appalling attacks on police officers and emergency workers will continue to increase.

It really is time for the judiciary to throw away the carrot and grasp the big stick again.
Make the punishment fit the crime – instead of making excuses for the perpetrators (boo hoo, it was the drugs or the drink, your honour).

We are paying a very high price for having taken to much notice of loony, lefty, liberal, do-gooders for the last few decades.

ROBERT READMAN
Norwich Avenue West, Bournemouth