Police chief warns it is 'totally unacceptable' as nine Gloucestershire officers are assaulted overnight

A total of nine Gloucestershire police officers have been assaulted in four separate incidents over just 12 hours - three of them needing hospital treatment.

Injuries ranged from a broken finger to facial injuries and suspected concussion.

The assaults all took place between Friday night (2 August) and Saturday morning (3 August).

The first involved a 14-year-old girl from Gloucester who, following an arrest on suspicion of public order offences, was further arrested for two counts of assaulting an emergency worker.

Police allege the girl kicked one officer and hit the face of another with the custody van door. Neither officer was seriously injured.

On a second call out in the early hours of Saturday morning, police responding to reports of a disturbance in Park Road, Stonehouse had a small statue thrown at them - hitting one officer in the arm.

Another officer suffered a broken finger during attempts to make arrests. He was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for treatment.

Two other officers suffered non-serious injuries in the incident.

At around 4am on Saturday morning, officers called to a disturbance in Peckham Walk, Cirencester suffered suspected concussion.

Both were taken to Great Western Hospital in Swindon, and a 19-year-old man from Cirencester has today (5 August) pleaded guilty to to assaulting PC Grant and PC Bellow.

PC Bellow said in court that in 11 years of front line duty it was the worst assault he had experienced.

Joshua Rayalo, of Cirencester, has been sentenced to 12 week suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay a total £150 compensation to the two officers.

Read more: Police officers quitting as assaults rise across the West Country

The final incident shortly before 4:30am on Saturday morning in Gloucester led to an officer being hit in the head as he arrested a woman on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.

The number of the assaults in such a short amount of time has prompted police chiefs to issue a statement to the public.

Mr Cooper added his thanks to officers working "extra hours to fill the gaps" left by officers on leave.

Read more: Gloucestershire police officer taken to hospital after vehicle fails to stop