Spit hoods used every four hours by Scots cops due to fears over 'vile' attacks

Scotland's cops are using spit hood s every four hours to protect themselves from attacks from the public. Shock new figures obtained by the Daily Record show they have been deployed almost 9,000 times in the last four years since 2021. The hoods are placed over a persons head when they bite or spit at an officer or threaten to do so. Figures for April to June this year show the hoods were used on 293 occasions compared to 250 times in the same period in 2024, 257 in 2023, 214 in 2022 and 201 in 2021. Earlier this week we revealed how attacks on police officers in Scotland are at a ten year high. David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation , says the spit hood figures show a need for greater punishments from the courts to deter all types of attacks on cops. Officers have to wait up to six months for test results if they have been bitten or spat on by someone known to carry infections like HIV or Hepatitis B. Mr Kennedy added: "Spitting is vile. It is probably one of the most horrible assaults you can get. "If someone has spat on a police officer then you would put on a hood to stop them doing it again. "There are so many diseases you can get now from a bite or a spit. "Officers are then concerned if they have caught something they are then taking it into their family home." Mr Kennedy says spitting is now one of the most common ways the public will inflict violence on a police officer. He added:"Spit hoods were brought in to alleviate that. "Police officers are going to work knowing it's likely they will be assaulted. "You are seeing more and more cases of officers with PTSD . "We should be providing the best safety we can for police officers in Scotland." Cops have to fill out a form every time they uses a spit hood to justify its use. Figures for the financial year 2024/25 show there were 2554 occasions when spit hoods were used That compares to 1978 in 2022/23 and 1861 in 2021/22. Spit hoods were also used 2562 times in 2023/24 - a total of 8955 deployments in the last four years and an average of once every four hours. The figures are contained in a series of official 'Use of Force' reports by Police Scotland to oversight body the Scottish Police Authority . In August 2021 a 24 year old Jack Ferry from Stirling was jailed after police were forced to put a spit hood on him. They were called after he attacked a 27-year-old student nurse in the town earlier that year. Ferry began spitting on officers as he was taken to a police van in handcuffs When they arrived at the police station he was handcuffed, placed in leg restraints and a spit hood. At Falkirk Sheriff Court Ferry pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman, assaulting police; and breach of the peace. In October last year Kimberley Smith was jailed for six months after cops were forced to put a spit hood on her. The 25 year old had dodged a taxi fare, assaulted the driver and caused £500 damage to his car in Falkirk She was also convicted of police assault. The Scottish Police Federation have joined forces with the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents to call for prisoners convicted of assaults on police officers not to get early release. In 2024, there were 8068 attacks on police officers compared with 6344 in 2015 - a rise of almost 30 per cent. The figures for last year are also higher than the 7971 cop attacks in 2023 and 7460 in 2022. In the first eight months of this year there were 5948 assaults - a higher monthly average than 2024's record high. Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said: “Spit hoods are used to keep police officers and staff safe. They are only used when someone has already taken the conscious decision to spit or to try to bite. "No one should expect to be, or tolerate being, spat on or assaulted at their work. "The Chief Constable has publicly underlined our commitment to preventing violence and abuse against officers and staff and supporting them where it occurs.” However human rights campaign group Amnesty International UK say spit hoods should only be used as a last resort. Scotland Programme Director Elizabeth Thomson added: “Spithoods can restrict breathing and have the potential to be an excessive and dangerous tool. The continued increase in their use by Police Scotland is very concerning. “Any use of spithoods should be an absolute last resort and Police Scotland must be able to demonstrate it is always proportionate and necessary. The data currently published is light on detail. "The force and Police Authority have pressing questions to answer on how they are monitoring the use of spithoods against their human rights obligations.”