A PSNI chief has said it 'beggars belief' that 17 officers were assaulted in a series incidents over a 24-hour period this weekend.
Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd was speaking on Sunday afternoon following assaults across Northern Ireland in which officers were headbutted, punched, spat at and even slashed.
"It is appalling that any police officer should be subjected to violence whilst simply doing their job," said ACC Todd.
Vehicles removed from service
The spate of assaults began in Co. Tyrone on Saturday afternoon when officers were dealing with a man who was found apparently collapsed on a street in Coalisland.
Four officers were assaulted when the man lashed out, headbutting one and punching, spitting and kicking at others, with two requiring hospital treatment
The 38-year-old was arrested and placed in a police vehicle, where he continued to spit and lash out, damaging the interior and rendering the vehicle unusable for a number of hours.
Shortly after midnight, five officers responding to a report of a domestic assault in Antrim were injured when a man attacked them with a large piece of broken glass.
Three of the officers sustained cuts and lacerations that required medical treatment.
A 32-year-old man who was arrested subsequently caused damage to a police vehicle, which had to be removed from service for the remainder of the night.
In Ballymena, Co. Antrim, three officers attending a reported assault on a man in the Linenhall Street area were punched in the face and head, as well as having their equipment damaged.
A 28-year-old man was arrested and is currently in police custody.
Belfast assaults
Meanwhile, In the first of three incidents in Belfast, three officers were spat on and struck in the face by a man they were conveying to hospital.
The man had sustained injuries in an earlier altercation and was being taken for treatment by police when he attacked them.
Next, a 34-year-old man was charged with assaulting police, criminal damage and disorderly behaviour after he was arrested following a disturbance in Union Street in the early hours of Sunday.
In the third incident in the city, a 30-year-old woman was charged after assaulting an officer outside a Belfast hospital and causing criminal damage to a police car.
A 29-year-old man also arrested at the same time on suspicion of assaulting police was released pending a report to the PPS.
'Horrible incidents'
ACC Todd said it was 'completely unacceptable' that officers were being assaulted while serving the public.
"For 17 individual officers to be subjected to violence, spat on, kicked and slashed in a single day beggars belief," he said.
"Whilst we come to work knowing we could be faced with difficult and dangerous situations, it is completely unacceptable that officers should be physically attacked.
"These horrible incidents just show the often grim reality of what officers on the ground are facing each and every day as they work to help people and keep our communities safe."
