All frontline officers get spitguards despite human rights objections

All frontline officers are to be issued with spit and bite guards, after the PSNI piloted a scheme which saw them used 70 times since mid-March.
By Adam Kula
Published 23rd Nov 2020, 12:30 BST
Images from West Midlands Police and Suffolk Police respectively of 'spit guards / spit hoods' (the terms are often used interchangably). It is not known if the PSNI's spit guards are the same model as theseImages from West Midlands Police and Suffolk Police respectively of 'spit guards / spit hoods' (the terms are often used interchangably). It is not known if the PSNI's spit guards are the same model as these
Images from West Midlands Police and Suffolk Police respectively of 'spit guards / spit hoods' (the terms are often used interchangably). It is not known if the PSNI's spit guards are the same model as these

The chief constable will keep the policy under review, with the possibility of changing it on a monthly basis.

Nonetheless, it is expected that the policy will remain in place until after the pandemic has passed.

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Announcing the move in a statement today, Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Roberts said: “After careful consideration, we have decided to issue all operational police officers with spit and bite guards as a temporary measure for the duration of the pandemic.”

All officers must complete an online training programme.

Any time they use the guards they must activate tier bodycams.

Officers who use the guards must also tell the Police Ombudsman each and every time.

In addition the PSNI will “inform the Northern Ireland Policing Board Human Rights Advisor of the number of incidents”, as well as the ombudsman.

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The PSNI also added that it will “be conducting a full Equality Impact Assessment into the general issue of Spit and Bite Guards in a non-Covid environment”.

ACC Roberts continued: “An enhanced roll out which will commence on 18th December fulfils the Chief Constable’s obligations under Health and Safety legislation which requires him to provide safe systems of work for all employees.

“We recognise this is a sensitive issue and I want to reassure the public that human rights considerations of deploying a Spit and Bite Guard are at the forefront of this decision.

“Spit and bite guards have been used a total of 70 times since their introduction on the 16th March.

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“To date [the ombudsman] has not received any complaints from members of the public relating to the use of spit and bite guards.

“The vast majority of police services in England, Scotland and Wales have been using spit and bite guards for some years.”

Police Federation NI chief Mark Lindsay (representing rank-and-file officers) said the move will be “universally welcomed” on the ground.

“I recognise this decision may be criticised by some, but I would respond by saying that our men and women have human rights, too, and deserve to be protected when threatened and assaulted,” he said.

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“With 237 spitting/biting incidents since April there is an obvious need to protect officers who are spat at by people who say they have Covid-19 or other infectious diseases.

“They will also reduce the amount of physical force sometimes required to restrain an offender engaging in this abhorrent style of assault.

“In no way do spit and bite guards conflict with Human Rights legislation. Police officers are victims of crime in these circumstances and should be afforded the best protection possible.”

The references to human rights concerns could relate to Amnesty International, which has criticised “spit hoods” – a kind of mesh placed over the heads of suspects, saying they could “reduce breathing”.

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Back in March Amnesty’s NI branch said: “Putting a spit hood on someone will almost certainly involve additional risk of personal contact and possible struggle, potentially making it more rather than less likely that an officer could be infected.”

The group has repeated its calls for a rethink on using the items at least twice since then.

More from this reporter today:

Click here: Whopping 94.2% of students in Holylands are Catholic – with sectarian divide branded ‘depressing’Click here: ‘Unconscious bias training’: Conor Murphy’s department blocks public from knowing how much it spent on programme for civil servantsA message from the Editor:

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