The brutal attacks on Yorkshire's police officers in just ONE week revealed

Since the start of 2020, a total of 12 officers from North Yorkshire Police have either been attacked, injured, or verbally abused and threatened while carrying out their job.

Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said; "Many of my colleagues have spent their Christmas and New Year period on duty, working hard to keep our communities safe - including some of the most vulnerable in society. That’s why it is so disappointing to see that an unacceptable number of them have been subjected to abuse, assaults and threats while carrying out their duties.

“Although police regularly place themselves in harm's way to protect others, it is never right to assume that they themselves should expect to be attacked or injured as 'part of the job'. Such assaults are entirely and completely unacceptable.”

Here are further details of the attacks:

January 1, 2020

A 31-year-old man became violent at a hotel in Rougier Street in York. The man resisted arrest and in the process he assaulted three police officers. He was taken into custody and charged with three counts of assaulting an emergency worker.

January 1, 2020

Three officers were called to reports of a man acting violently in Acomb. Officers found the man sat in a car inside the garage of a house. When they attempted to speak to him he became aggressive, driving the car close to the officers and causing substantial damage to the garage.

The officers managed to open the car and arrest the driver, but one of the officers suffered minor injuries.

A 40-year-old man was charged with assault and affray and will appear at York Magistrates Court next Thursday.

January 1, 2020

An officer was racially abused after he stopped and spoke to a man in Blake Street about an unconnected incident.

The man, who is 23 and from York, was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and released under investigation.

January 1, 2020

An officer was left fearing for his safety after he was threatened by three men he had stopped on suspicion of drink driving on the A658 near Poor-in-Wharfdale. As the officer attempted to carry out a roadside breath test, he was threatened, before all three men got back in the car and drove away. The officer tried to catch up with the vehicle, but it was not located.

Further police enquiries however resulted in two men from Leeds being arrested the following day.

A 23-year-old man has been charged with failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis, and obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty. He is due to appear at Harrogate Magistrates Court on January 30.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of affray. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

The investigation is ongoing to locate the third man involved in the incident.

January 3, 2020

An officer was punched in the face while attending a violent incident n Harrogate.

He suffered a fractured cheekbone as a result.

A 36-year-old man has been charged with assault.

January 4, 2020

Three officers received whiplash injuries when a suspected drink driver, who they were trying to contain, rammed the police van they were travelling in.

A 33-year-old man has been charged in connection with the incident.

January 4, 2020

Two officers in Harrogate, who were acting as good Samaritans for a drunk man they found in the town centre, ended up being assaulted by him.

To ensure his safety, they had agreed to give the man a lift to a nearby service station, where he was to be met by his parents. However, after arriving at the agreed location, the man became violent and attacked the officers; breaking one’s finger and punching the other in the face.

An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and has been released under investigation.

Assistant Chief Constable Walker said: "Members of the public can be reassured that North Yorkshire Police will be here for them 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round. And those who subject us to assaults and threats will find themselves dealt with robustly, and put before the courts to answer for their crimes.

"As we anticipated, the festive period has been an extremely busy time for our officers and staff and I am incredibly proud of my colleagues who have continued to provide a professional service to all those in need of our help.”