Frontline police officers issued with controversial “spit guards” to use on suspects have told HuffPost UK they welcome their use, despite warnings from Britain’s most senior police officer that deploying them could make officers more likely to get “a good kicking.”
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has come under increasing pressure to issue the mesh hoods, that are available to officers in many other forces, to all her officers after a survey on Tuesday suggested 95% of them are in favour.
A poll carried out by the Met’s police federation found 5,269 out of 5,572 members questioned thought they should have them, while 92% said they would be prepared to carry one after they had been trained.
They are used around three times per week in custody suites in the capital, but Dick has not permitted their use on the beat despite their endorsement by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Home Secretary Sajid Javid.
The Met Commissioner has previously said, of a difficult arrest scenario, “if you imagine the officer struggling also to put the spit guard on the head while trying to restrain somebody, it would be probably impossible and more likely to get them a good kicking.”
Critics including Amnesty International have labelled the hoods “cruel and dangerous”, while Simon Wooley from the Prime Minister’s Race Disparity Audit Advisory Group said they will exacerbate problems between the black community and police.
Out of the country’s 43 police forces 31 have made the decision to issue all officers with spit guards, including West Midlands Police which began using them last December.
Made from a transparent loose-fitting, net-like material the spit guards or hoods have a reinforced section around the jawline to prevent spitting and biting.
The devices, likened by some people to a Hannibal Lecter-style face mask, are medically certified and guarantee no mouth or airway blockage, to prevent asphyxiation through the ingestion of fluids or solids.
West Midlands officers have used the guards at least 40 times since December last year with the youngest suspect being 15 whilst the oldest person was 53.
West Midlands Police Federation chairman, Sergeant Richard Cooke, told HuffPost: “I would implore Cressida Dick to reconsider her ban of spit guards for beat officers because we have shown that they are a valuable tool to help protect officers.
“There are strict guidelines over their use and it is never deployed as a pre-emptive measure while a body camera must be worn by any officer while restraining a suspect with a spit guard.
“Admittedly they are used after an officer has already been spat on but they are an effective deterrent.”
The Metropolitan Police Federation survey showed around half of those who responded had been spat at while on duty in the past two years, and 562 were bitten.
Sgt Cooke meanwhile referred to a case of two Coventry-based officers who were called to an incident where a suspect spat blood in their faces and then refused to consent to a blood test.
He said: “So both officers were given injections and had to be placed on a course of anti-viral drugs.
“One officer had a false reading of hepatitis B and his wife and 12-month-old child were forced to have blood tests and injections. The other was unable to see a close family member who was undergoing chemotherapy for several months.”
All officers issued with guards must complete training on their safe fitting and have regular refresher training.
They are only fitted to a suspect once an officer has donned a body camera and can only be used after the suspect has already spat or who threatens to spit.
The fitting of a guard on a detainee is classed as a use of force under Home Office regulations and is recorded as such by West Midlands Police.
Sgt Cooke said the guards reduce the level of force officers have to use on a spitting detainee: “Currently, the only method of stopping a spit attack is by using several officers to physically restrain the person.”
Critics of the devices, which cost West Midlands Police £11,000 in total, have called the guards “cruel and dangerous” and “humiliating.”
Martha Spurrier, Director of Liberty, said: “There is a clear link between spit hoods and deaths in custody, and using them on children should be unthinkable.
“Forcibly covering people’s faces does more harm than good, adding terror and confusion to an already distressing situation.
“It is unacceptable to subject children and other vulnerable people to these instruments of fear.
“We are still waiting for a genuine assessment of the health risks spit hoods pose and an analysis of the alternatives. Until that happens and robust national police guidance exists, there is no place for these cruel and dangerous tools in our police forces.”