Emergency workers in Dorset have been assaulted over 100 times in the past year, figures show.

Data released by the Home Office revealed there had been 103 assaults on emergency workers in Dorset in the year to March - up from 61 in 2020-21.

All of the reported victims were police constables - making the region just of one of a handful of areas not to see recorded assaults on other types of emergency workers.

101 of the assaults resulted in some sort of injury.

Of the assaults, 91 of the investigations concluded last year with 66% resulting in a charge or summons – down from 70% in 2020-21.

Since the Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill came into law in 2018, the maximum prison sentence for common assault on an emergency worker has been 12 months.

The offence applies to attacks on 'blue light' workers such as the police, paramedics and fire fighters, along with many others, including prison officers, NHS workers, and St John’s Ambulance volunteers.

Across England and Wales, 44,600 emergency worker assaults were recorded in 2021-22 – a rise of 10% on the 40,400 the year before.

The Police Federation described the "appalling" rise in offences nationally as a stain on society and said emergency workers should be able to carry out their duties safely.

They added that attacks must not be tolerated or seen as 'just part of the job'.

Steve Hartshorn, national chairman of The Police Federation, said: “Crime levels rose once Covid restrictions were lifted and a split-second act of violence, whether an injury is sustained or not, often leaves devastating and long-term effects on police officers.

"The physical and mental scars of these assaults can last a lifetime and are unacceptable.

“Assaults on emergency workers are a stain on society and many of these assaults which are recorded without an injury would have been vile spitting and coughing attacks."

PTSD 999, a support organisation for all emergency services, said stronger sentencing for offenders would protect both the public and those facing assaults.

Gary Hayes, co-founder of the group, said: "Assaults on emergency service workers can be traumatising but not necessarily at the time of the event, the effects on the individual may present itself days, weeks, months or years later.