'I've been sworn at, punched and kicked' - PC says

A police officer has described being punched, kicked and having her ankle broken during her first three years in the job, as figures show more than 100 officers a day are assaulted in England and Wales.

PC Lauren Butcher, who needed weeks of specialist rehabilitation and counselling after one injury, says she welcomes plans to roll out a new type of Taser stun gun for protection.

The Home Office state more than 40,000 assaults of police officers are assaulted each year.

The government says any assault on an emergency worker is completely unacceptable.

Butcher says her colleagues have experienced everything from verbal abuse, including homophobic and sexist comments, to broken bones and stabbings.

"I've been sworn at, punched, kicked. These assaults seem to be increasing in their frequency."

She told BBC South East she suffered a broken ankle and ligament damage following one assault, which needed treatment at Flint House Police Rehabilitation in Oxfordshire, a charity which supports injured officers.

"It's difficult to this day to go out and do this job, because it's always lingering with you, the physical pain and mental memory that someone really hurt me."

The Kent officer, who now carries a Taser as part of her kit, says she backs plans to introduce the new Taser 10, which can fire at greater distances.

"Given that extra distance, that extra space, it gives you that extra time to make sure that your actions are as safe as possible," Butcher says.

"I've only been a Taser officer for a number of months but it does give you that extra layer of protection.

"At the end of the day my words are my greatest tool that I can use in this job."

In the year ending March 2025, there were 47,522 assaults recorded against police officers across England and Wales. Of those, about a quarter resulted in the officer being injured.

The Home Office had previously said this data was "likely to be an underestimate of the total number of assaults against constables in some forces, as many officers view assaults as part of the job and do not raise a crime record".

A spokesperson said some offences may have occurred while an officer was off duty, and improvements in recording practices and more victims reporting crime may have contributed to a rise in the number of recorded offences.

Darren Pemble, chair of the Surrey Police Federation, says he is "staggered" by how many officers are being assaulted.

"Some officers have been spat at, attacked with knives and even driven at," he said

He described how he "feared for his life" while attending a domestic incident where a drunk, aggressive man threatened him in a flat, in front of a balcony with a 50ft (15m) drop.

"I had my CS (spray) and with a bit of luck I managed to detain him," he said.

In another case he said he was chasing burglars who punched him in the head several times, before they were arrested.

"I deal with our colleagues on the frontline who do sustain some serious injuries," he said.

Pemble, who backs greater Taser use, said he felt there were enough safeguards in place.

"It's a really good deterrent. It will make officers safer and the public safer when officers are dealing with violent individuals," he said.

West Midlands became one of the first forces to start rolling out the new Axon Taser 10 (T10) which can fire up to 10 single-shot cartridges without reloading and operates at a range of up to 45ft (13.7m).

It was introduced after receiving approval from the home secretary last October.

Amnesty International UK has warned the new device, with longer, faster firing probes, isn't the solution in all violent situations.

Oliver Feeley-Sprague, a policing expert from the organisation, said: "Taser is a very specialist weapon that was introduced to control potentially very violent people at a safer distance."

Feeley-Sprague, who sits on an independent advisory group said: "I think it's far too easy to jump to the conclusion that the response to officer safety is necessarily giving everybody a Taser, because it's only useful in very specific circumstances."

Matthew Scott, the Kent police and crime commissioner, says there are checks and balances.

"We do have regular scrutiny of the use of Taser.

"We have a panel that reviews and scrutinises those decisions on a random basis to make sure they are held to account and [officers] have to do regular refresher training."

The PCC has also condemned the level of abuse officers are facing.

"They're putting their lives at risk by going into dangerous situations, that's why we need to give them the kit and the support to be able to do their job," Scott says.

To boost protection for frontline crews after a rise in assaults, the previous government introduced legislation covering assaults on emergency workers.

Those convicted of assaulting an emergency worker can already face up to two years imprisonment.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) show there were 14,768 convictions for the offence in the year to June 2025, a 12% increase in two years.

However, the current government is looking to introduce further measures to support frontline staff.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are introducing new offences for threatening, abusive, or insulting behaviour towards emergency workers relating to racially or religiously aggravated abuse.

"The Taser 10 will help our police forces and properly trained officers tackle crime more effectively while maintaining public trust and accountability."

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