A NUMBER of people have been arrested after police officers were assaulted and spat at.

Hampshire Police Federation has confirmed that 14 officers were punched, kicked, bitten and spat at when they were called to deal with incidents across Hampshire over Easter weekend.

None of them was seriously injured nor taken to hospital but the force has confirmed that a number of people have been arrested following the incidents and some people have been charged.

John Apter, chairman of Hampshire Police Federation, said: "It's unacceptable, my colleagues don't deserve that treatment. It's only through look that no officers was more seriously injured."

Mr Apter said that it is not unusual that officers are assaulted when called to deal with incidents, especially during the weekend and he is now calling for action to be take.

"The public has to understand the load of violence being used against our colleagues. The society needs to accept that it's not acceptable to attack police officers and the court has to step in. People who assault emergency officers should be taken more seriously by the court and the sentence should be appropriate," he said.

And added: "I have campaigned for more officers to have Taser guns but the reality is that we have fewer police officers than we had before. We need more officers and the government has to give more money to police officers."

Southampton Itchen MP Royston Smith,