Spitting Feathers!

Yes, yes, this is gonna be a nasty post so stop reading if you think you can’t handle it!


After reading  a "Tweet" made by @999Response last night about being spat at, it occurred to me that "spitting" is the most hated assault in our job.


I don't know why people resort to spitting when cornered, it must be a primal instinct and last line of defence but I see it as a sign of anger, hatred and contempt.


I thought it was on the decrease.  I could count at one stage the number of spittings at me on one hand but that seems to have doubled over the last year alone.


I can handle being punched, kicked, slapped, head butted, sworn at etc but incidents involving the mouth literally leaves me boiling over.


I cannot stand spitting or biting.  It's the one thing on the job I hate the most.  If I've arrested someone and they bite or spit at me then it takes an incredible amount of self restraint not to punch them straight in the face or worse.  In my mind, I've already done it and they're laying on the floor, spark out.  But of course, in reality I cannot do that as I would be no worse than them.


What I have to do is try not to react at all and show it has had no effect that I have the contents of the back of their lungs, nose and throat sliding down my face or that their teeth marks have caused a bruise on my hand.  What I do do, however is to jam my flat opened palmed hand down the side of their face and neck and force their head and face down whilst placing them into a locked restraint so they cannot do it to me or anyone else again.


When women spit, I really get angry, especially when it's at me.  Maybe it's an instinct, call it sexist if you wish, that I believe that women should not be spitting!


I arrested a woman a few years back for D&D (Drunk and Disorderly) and she was quite happy being led to the van, but just as I was putting her in the back of the cage, she turned and spat a huge green wad of phlegm straight into my face.  I restrained myself from not throwing her straight to the ground but informed her that she was now under arrest for Assault Police as her phlegm slipped towards my mouth which I hastily wiped off! 


I witnessed an incident a few years ago in East London where a student officer had his bicep ripped open by what can only be described as something that looked like a bite from a nature program.   He was helping to restrain a giant of a man who was kicking off and the officer unfortunately leant across his face leaving his arm open.  The bite was horrendous, he tore into and ripped the flesh, then followed the blood curdling scream of the poor student officer as most of his bicep disappeared and was spat on the floor.  


It's not so much as the possible transmission of God knows what disease these days, it's the total lack of respect for the person that's being spat at or bitten.


So next time you're arresting someone, especially if you're a student officer, be prepared for that spit that maybe coming your way.  Try not to put yourself in the firing line and give yourself distance.


And, if you are the one being arrested, keep your mouth closed!