NSW Police Minister David Elliott is calling for an urgent inquiry into assaults on police after a spate of violence and abuse towards officers in the Hunter and Central Coast in the past week.
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It comes after five incidents in the region between June 16 and 23, during which seven officers were allegedly assaulted on the job in as many days and a senior constable was threatened with a knife in a Newcastle suburb in broad daylight.
"I am disgusted that anyone would think it's OK to lay a hand on a police officer," Mr Elliott said when asked on Thursday about the string of cases.
"Our men and women in blue go out on the front-line every day, facing criminals, disasters and even a global pandemic to keep the community safe.
"Being assaulted by the very people they are sworn to protect is a horrific injustice.
"I have written to the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety and asked them to conduct an urgent inquiry into assaults on members of the NSW Police Force."
Shocking video was made public this week of an arrest at Hamilton South on Tuesday afternoon, after a man brandishing a knife approached a senior constable who was in a car with the window open.
The footage, recorded by the officer's bodycam, depicted a crowd of people verbally abusing police as they arrested the man.
Another man was capsicum sprayed and charged after he aggressively interfered with the arrest.
The incident came only a few hours before three officers were allegedly assaulted at Shortland when responding to a report of an altercation.
The officers were allegedly kicked and spat on - one person allegedly took a set of handcuffs before being arrested.
The spate of incidents began on Tuesday last week, when two officers were allegedly assaulted while responding to a reported domestic disturbance on the Central Coast.
A male senior constable was allegedly elbowed in the face and had his genitals twisted while a female senior constable was put in a headlock, punched in the face and had a chunk of hair ripped from her head.
Later in the week, also on the Central Coast, a 22-year-old woman injured the knee and elbow of an officer while she was being arrested for allegedly returning a positive blood-alcohol reading after a car crash.
Then, on Sunday night, a sergeant was allegedly punched in the face during a traffic stop at Telarah, leaving him with a fractured eye socket.
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