THE NEW Chair of the Dorset Police Federation has condemned the recent assault of an officer in Ferndown, calling the incident “completely unacceptable”.

A police officer was reportedly picked up and thrown onto the floor outside The Nightjar pub on Victoria Road on Saturday August 14.

A 27-year-old man from Wimborne was arrested on suspicion of assault and has been released under investigation pending further enquiries.

Chair of the Federation James Dimmack has passed on his well wishes to the officer involved.

He added: “Our courageous colleague is suffering from bruising, whiplash and concussion. This is completely unacceptable.

“We wish her a swift recovery and will be providing any welfare support required.

“Any attack on a Dorset Police officer is despicable. Nationally, more than 100 police officers a day are being assaulted and this should be a major concern to everyone in society.”

Another police officer who attended the incident sustained an injury to her elbow after being pushed in the head.

Mr Dimmack said: “We must remember that behind this statistic are real people – not robots. They get injured. They bruise. They break. They bleed. While officers may recover from physical injuries quickly, the mental scars can remain for much longer.

“When we see perpetrators go to court, they need to face the stiffest possible punishments.

“Police officers should be going home at the end of their shifts. Not to hospital.”