Assaults on police have risen by 24 per cent across the Thames Valley over the last year - with 75 officers in the Royal Borough attacked over a 12 month period between 2019 and 2020.

The shocking statistic was revealed by Thames Valley Chief Constable John Campbell when he spoke at a meeting of the Royal Borough's Communities overview and scrutiny panel last night.

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Speaking online at the 'virtual' meeting which also saw councillors contributing from their homes, Mr Campbell also revealed that 22 officers had been spat at in the borough.

He said: "We acknowledge that officers will be assaulted in the execution of their duty. We train them, we protect them but we can't completely police it out.

"I don't think collectively we should accept it though. We should also push the criminal justice system hard to make sure we get justice and that there is a deterrent."

A total of 13 of the assaults against police in the Royal Borough were Covid-19 related. There were 95 criminal offences committed relating to the virus and 71 fixed penalty notices issued to people contravening the safety regulations.

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Superintendant for Windsor and Maidenhead Mick Greenwood revealed another unfortunate consequence of Covid-19, saying: "Domestic violence is still a priority and there is increasing concern about what's been going on behind closed doors."

He said police had given out written warnings and ensured victims had access to support - with a 36 per cent increase in referrals to the locally based DASH support charity over the last year.

He said police also made follow-up house visits to check whether a situation had improved.