Spitting Mad
Diane Abbott has been in the news headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, but Labour's shadow home secretary put her foot in things again when she denied there is any need for police officers to deploy 'spit hoods'.
Now I'm sure these are pretty horrible things to have placed around your head, but then again it's much more horrible to have some violent thug or out of control person spitting in your face.
Like everything else the use of such equipment needs proper training and periodic review, but to reject their use out of hand seems terribly irresponsible, as Diane Abbott has done, if you ask me.
Read the full report in the link below to the Politics Home web site.
https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/home-affairs/policing/news/83271/excl-diane-abbott-sparks-fresh-row-labour-mps-after-attack?
EXCL Diane Abbott sparks fresh row with Labour MPs after attack on 'spit hoods'
By Kevin Schofield- Politics Home
Diane Abbott has sparked a new row with Labour MPs after questioning the need for police officers to be issued with so-called "spit hoods" to protect them from disease.
Diane Abbott says spit hoods are unncessary. Credit: PA Images
The Shadow Home Secretary also angered a senior police officer by saying there was no evidence the devices were "necessary or useful".
Ms Abbott spoke out on Twitter after it emerged that all officers in Thames Valley and Hampshire are to be issued with spit hoods.
Advocates of the items, which are placed over a suspect's head, say they are needed to protect police from the threat of diseases such as Hepatitis C.
But civil liberties campaigners say they are cruel and degrading.
Ms Abbott, the MP for Hackney North, did not respond to Superintendent Smith, who works at Territorial Policing HQ.
The row came just days after Labour MP Holly Lynch published a ten minute rule bill calling for tougher penalties for suspects who attack members of the emergency services.
It followed the launch of the 'Protect the Protectors' campaign by the Police Federation of England and Wales.
Writing for PoliticsHome, Halifax MP Ms Lynch said: "Spitting is another daily concern for front line workers. I hosted an event in parliament last week where two police officers told MPs about their experience of being spat at.
"While trying to apprehend a violent suspect they had blood spat at them which went into their mouths and eyes. They both had to undergo anti-viral treatments to reduce the risk of contracting communicable diseases.
"One officer had a false positive result for Hepatitis B and for 6 months until conclusive test results came through, he had to avoid physical contact with his wife and young children as he feared passing on the disease.
"Emergency workers tell me that they have little faith in the criminal justice system to protect them from spitting and assaults. For example the latest official figures show that in one year 7,829 criminals were convicted of assaulting police officers, yet only 1,002 were sent to prison.
"It seems clear that something needs to be done to better protect emergency workers and it for this reason that I am trying to change the law so that assaults on our emergency workers face tougher penalties."
Ms Lynch was backed by fellow Labour MP Michael Dugher, who told PoliticsHome: "Police are suffering a growing number of assaults as they go about their job protecting the public. We owe it to them to give them every protection they need - including from horrible spitting that can lead to infections, but where at the moment the law seems to side with person doing the spitting.
"We need to take the side of our rank and file police. We must not dismiss this issue. The police deserve our full support and the law needs changing so we get tough with the yobs attacking our police."
Ms Abbott has been at the centre of controversy over the past two weeks after a migraine forced her to miss a crunch vote on the Government's Article 50 bill.
She finally backed the legislation last week, despite her constituency voting heavily to stay in the European Union.
The Labour Party is in a dreadful mess, not least because Jeremy Corbyn clings to the delusion that he is doing a great job as a leader with a 'big mandate'.
Well mandates count for nothing when the party is falling apart as it did the other day over the Brexit vote which had Labour facing more ways than the town hall clock.
Not just that one of the party's senior figures and close friend of Jeremy Corbyn failed to turn up for the vote in the House of Commons after claiming she was ill.
Here's what The Times reported about Diane Abbott's mysterious absence:
"Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, missed the vote through illness. Cynical Labour MPs who turned out to back Brexit joked that they were organising her a get well card and that they were sure that she would be back next week for the third reading vote. It is worth noting that she spoke in a Westminster Hall debate which ended only three hours before the vote."
And here. rather less charitably, is what the Guido Fawkes web site had to say.
The Shadow Home Secretary also angered a senior police officer by saying there was no evidence the devices were "necessary or useful".
Ms Abbott spoke out on Twitter after it emerged that all officers in Thames Valley and Hampshire are to be issued with spit hoods.
Advocates of the items, which are placed over a suspect's head, say they are needed to protect police from the threat of diseases such as Hepatitis C.
But civil liberties campaigners say they are cruel and degrading.
Ms Abbott, the MP for Hackney North, did not respond to Superintendent Smith, who works at Territorial Policing HQ.
The row came just days after Labour MP Holly Lynch published a ten minute rule bill calling for tougher penalties for suspects who attack members of the emergency services.
It followed the launch of the 'Protect the Protectors' campaign by the Police Federation of England and Wales.
Writing for PoliticsHome, Halifax MP Ms Lynch said: "Spitting is another daily concern for front line workers. I hosted an event in parliament last week where two police officers told MPs about their experience of being spat at.
"While trying to apprehend a violent suspect they had blood spat at them which went into their mouths and eyes. They both had to undergo anti-viral treatments to reduce the risk of contracting communicable diseases.
"One officer had a false positive result for Hepatitis B and for 6 months until conclusive test results came through, he had to avoid physical contact with his wife and young children as he feared passing on the disease.
"Emergency workers tell me that they have little faith in the criminal justice system to protect them from spitting and assaults. For example the latest official figures show that in one year 7,829 criminals were convicted of assaulting police officers, yet only 1,002 were sent to prison.
"It seems clear that something needs to be done to better protect emergency workers and it for this reason that I am trying to change the law so that assaults on our emergency workers face tougher penalties."
Ms Lynch was backed by fellow Labour MP Michael Dugher, who told PoliticsHome: "Police are suffering a growing number of assaults as they go about their job protecting the public. We owe it to them to give them every protection they need - including from horrible spitting that can lead to infections, but where at the moment the law seems to side with person doing the spitting.
"We need to take the side of our rank and file police. We must not dismiss this issue. The police deserve our full support and the law needs changing so we get tough with the yobs attacking our police."
Ms Abbott has been at the centre of controversy over the past two weeks after a migraine forced her to miss a crunch vote on the Government's Article 50 bill.
She finally backed the legislation last week, despite her constituency voting heavily to stay in the European Union.
Corbyn's Labour Party (03/02/17)
The Labour Party is in a dreadful mess, not least because Jeremy Corbyn clings to the delusion that he is doing a great job as a leader with a 'big mandate'.
Well mandates count for nothing when the party is falling apart as it did the other day over the Brexit vote which had Labour facing more ways than the town hall clock.
Not just that one of the party's senior figures and close friend of Jeremy Corbyn failed to turn up for the vote in the House of Commons after claiming she was ill.
Here's what The Times reported about Diane Abbott's mysterious absence:
"Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, missed the vote through illness. Cynical Labour MPs who turned out to back Brexit joked that they were organising her a get well card and that they were sure that she would be back next week for the third reading vote. It is worth noting that she spoke in a Westminster Hall debate which ended only three hours before the vote."
And here. rather less charitably, is what the Guido Fawkes web site had to say.
Well done to Diane Abbott for struggling through this contribution to the Westminster Hall debate on Prevent yesterday, just hours before the Article 50 vote, despite being “unwell“. What a trooper.
