FIGURES have revealed that 37,000 police officers were assaulted in England and Wales last year, for the period ending March 2021.

Of which, 136 of those assaults were committed against officers from Wiltshire Police

Wiltshire Police Federation tweeted the figures along with the hashtag 'Protect the Protectors'

The figures show police recorded crimes for assaults on a constable that caused an injury.

There were no figures in Wiltshire for assaults without injury.

The data on assaults, revealed as part of the Office for National Statistics 'Crime in England and Wales' statistical release, are not National Statistics because they do not provide a complete picture of assaults against police officers.

This is because many assaults against police officers are not raised as a crime record because many officers see them as 'part of the job'.

It is also not always possible for forces to identity whether the police officer was on or off duty at the time of the assault.