Yorkshire police chief's fury after colleague is punched in the face

The female officer was assaulted by a man at a nightclub in the city at 7.20pm on Saturday, North Yorkshire Police has revealed.

She attended Pop World in George Hudson Street, York following a report of an altercation between two men.

The officer was punched in the face, but did not receive any injuries and was able to remain on duty and complete her shift.

A 20-year-old man from Redcar was arrested for assault and has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

The incident on Saturday night was revealed on Twitter by North Yorkshire Police deputy chief constable Tim Madgwick.

He wrote: “Officer assaulted overnight in York just doing her job. Punched several times, she completed her tour of duty. Just not acceptable.”

According to the national Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, more than 23,000 officers are assaulted every year in England and Wales.

Last week Halifax MP Holly Lynch urged the Government to do more to protect police officers from a rising tide of violence against them.

Ms Lynch called on ministers to ensure that police forces have the funding they need to make sure officers do not have to patrol on their own.

She also suggested the courts should be encouraged to take a tougher approach to sentencing of those convicted of assaulting the police.

Almost 1,000 incidents of assaults on police have been recorded in the last year in the West Yorkshire force area alone.

The Halifax MP witnessed the problem for herself earlier this year while spending a shift with officers.

Ms Lynch saw the officer she was with, Pc Craig Gallant, surrounded by an aggressive group after he stopped a driver who had failed to stop.