A police officer has been hospitalised after responding to an emergency in Newhaven

Police said that the officer and two colleagues were called to a report of a disturbance at an address in the town shortly after 7pm on Tuesday, March 19. A man immediately resisted the three response officers attending.

Sussex Police reported that he punched one Police Constable in the face, causing the officer to briefly lose consciousness, then he continued to further assault two other Police Constables carrying out their duties. The officers needed to use Tasers to safely detain the man.

One officer was taken to hospital for treatment, and has since been discharged. The other two officers were injured but did not require hospital treatment, according to police.

Sussex Police is publishing details of the incident to raise awareness of the challenges officers face on a day-to-day basis, and to state that being assaulted at work is simply not acceptable.

East Sussex Divisional Superintendent Rachel Swinney said: “This was a shocking and completely unacceptable incident. Last night, one of my colleagues was injured while carrying out duties to protect the public.

“We are fortunate to have committed police officers who sign up to help protect vulnerable people and to make our communities a safer place.

“Officers do not sign up to be assaulted. But sadly this is a risk all emergency workers face. It is not acceptable and should never be considered as simply ‘part of the job’.

"Police officers are members of the community and come from a variety of different backgrounds. Assaults on officers not only have a huge impact on their lives, they also affects their families, loved ones, friends, and the communities in which they serve.

“There is also an impact on their fellow officers and colleagues, resulting in fewer officers being available to respond to emergencies while they require medical treatment.

“That is why we will do everything we can to ensure that those responsible for causing harm are brought to justice.”

A 20-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident, according to police, and he remains in custody at this time.