Two out of five officers in England and Wales have reported being assaulted on duty, causing police chiefs to vow to introduce measures to keep them safer without adopting a “paramilitary” style of policing. A survey for the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) covering the year to 21 March 2019 found that officers were assaulted and injured 10,409 times, up 26% on the previous year. There were another 20,476 assaults without injury, up 13% on the previous year. Police chiefs were unclear why the assault figures had risen, although possible factors include having to deal more with people suffering from mental health issues, better recording of assaults, and a culture change that means officers are less willing to shrug of attacks as part of the job. A second NPCC survey released on Wednesday, covering August this year, suggested that lockdown appears to have seen an increase of 31% in assaults on emergency workers, with suspects spitting at officers being one factor in the rise. Three-quarters of police officers surveyed said they wanted to go out on the streets with a Taser electronic weapon – the stun gun that has been linked to deaths and accusations of racial disparity in its use, but has also proved crucial in stopping violent offenders. Some police chiefs are wary of greater Taser weapon deployment, fearing its misuse, but also a change to what they see as the British law enforcement principle of policing by consent. The NPCC said it would be up to the chief constables of the 43 local forces plus British Transport Police to decide how many officers should get Taser weapons, as well as other controversial equipment, such as spit hoods. After a third of officers who responded to the survey said training was inadequate, the NPCC said it would be revamped, placing greater emphasis on talking to de-escalate situations. Martin Hewitt, chair of the NPCC, said the British policing style of talking rather than using force would remain: “I think we’re in a very different place than they are in the US … We don’t police in a paramilitary way, we police very much as the guardians within the communities and work with communities. “We’re overhauling safety training, trialling new technology and tactics, reviewing the availability of equipment and taking a hard line on the standard of response after an assault.” Police will ask for a new law to tackle the use of vehicles as weapons against officers and tougher penalties for those who spit at them. Ché Donald of the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: “Along with the majority of the public, the federation is appalled by the atrocious levels of violence colleagues have faced recently and has been demanding action.” Kent Chief Constable Alan Pughsley, the NPCC lead on officer safety, said officers should not become overly reliant on stun guns: “Tasers are not without their drawbacks. They are fallible and they … sometimes do not achieve the operational intent. “They can sometimes not work. This can lead to injury to the officers, this can lead to injury to the public. Likewise, Tasers should not be viewed as a guarantee of operational safety and officers should not become over-reliant on them.”