ATTACKS on police in London have risen sharply during the coronavirus lockdown, exclusive figures have shown.
Met Police figures showed 2,027 assaults on officers were recorded between May and July, a 38% increase compared with the same period in 2019.
Scotland Yard said the rise was partly driven by a series of high-profile protests and unlicensed music events marred by confrontations with police.
Assaults could have “long-term effects” on officers, the Met said.
In the 12 months to the end of July 2020, there were 6,668 victims of assaults on police, a 16% increase compared with the previous year.
These figures come just after two more police offers have been attacked in the capital in the last week.
A female officer was stabbed in the face with a pen on Sunday 16 August in Barnet, a 39-year-old man has been arrested with attempted murder.
While a male police officer was taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious during an arrest in Hackney on Tuesday night, a 46-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion on criminal damage and assaulting a police officer