Twenty-three police officers attacked during Christmas violence in Cheshire

Twenty-three police officers were assaulted responding to 999 calls in Cheshire in four days over Christmas. It resulted in eleven people being arrested.

The officers were assaulted between Friday 22 December and Tuesday 26. The incidents began at around 2.30pm on Friday 22, when six officers were assaulted while dealing with reports of a man who was damaging vehicles in the Neston area. During the attack one officer was bitten on the face and punched, with another five were kicked, punched, and spat at.

The next morning, at 12.25am on Saturday 23, an officer in Chester was headbutted after stopping a vehicle on Grosvenor Court. On Christmas Eve four officers suffered various injuries after being kicked, punched and bitten while arresting a man at 5.40am in Warrington in connection to an assault in the town centre.

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Meanwhile three officers were assaulted in three separate incidents on Christmas Day itself including being kicked, pushed, spat at and racially abused. Other officer assaults over the festive period included several reports of officers being spat at, along with multiple reports of officers being pushed, punched, and kicked.

Chief Supt Alison Ross said: “While the vast majority of residents in Cheshire were able to spend the festive period celebrating with their family and friends, many police officers and staff were forgoing festive family time to work day and night to protect the public and put criminals behind bars.

“It is an expectation of policing that our