A POLICE officer has described how he lay in “overwhelming pain” after being assaulted as figures show one emergency services worker is attacked every day in North Yorkshire.

Traffic Constable David Minto could not work for six months due to fractures and extensive ligament damage to his lower leg.

His attacker, Shane Anthony Povey, was recently sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

TC Minto is one of dozens of North Yorkshire’s emergency services workers who been seriously injured in the line of duty.

North Yorkshire Police figures show that in the last month, 36 arrests have been made following assaults on emergency service personnel – an average of more than one a day. They include punches, kicks, biting, assaults with a weapon and spitting.

TC Minto was attending a report of antisocial behaviour when his attacker, Povey, intervened and became aggressive. A tussle followed, and he grappled TC Minto to the floor, twisting his leg.

“As soon as I went down, I knew straight away that my ankle was done in,” said TC Minto.

“The initial pain was overwhelming. The first ten or 15 seconds, everything went dark. After a while, I managed to crawl from the road to the path.”

As he crawled to safety, other officers arrested Povey.

TC Minto, who works in the Roads Policing Group, was taken to hospital where he was treated for a complicated ankle facture with extensive ligament damage, which had to be pinned.

TC Minto had a gruelling recovery period ahead of him, spending one-and-a-half months on crutches with his leg in plaster, then the same time again in a supportive leg brace.

“It was frustrating to not being able to contribute at home, or even move around the house properly,” he added.

“I missed out on things I should have been doing with my son and with my family. It’s time that I can never get back. You feel a bit cheated.”

He returned to work in January 2020 but had to go on restricted duties until April.

Official figures show that in the six months leading up to the end of January 2020, North Yorkshire Police made 104 arrests following assaults against emergency services workers. But in the same period up to late January 2021, 150 arrests were made – an increase of 45 per cent.

The situation in North Yorkshire reflects a wider trend, with other forces reporting rising numbers of officer assaults. One force, Leicestershire, reported an increase of more than 100 per cent in 2020.

“It has a psychological impact on you as well as a physical one,” TC Minto continued.

“But you’ve got to get back to work and get on with it. The support returning to work has been great.

“Ultimately, my passion is road safety. I come into work to keep people safe. You’re aware that you can go home having potentially saved someone’s life. Most people you deal with are decent people.

“But I think there is a mindset among some of the public that police officers have to take the risks, and that’s just part of the job. And a lot of other people don’t even see the risks that police officers have to take.”

Last summer, North Yorkshire Police highlighted the rise in attacks on emergency personnel, revealing there was a 60 per cent increase in the first few months of lockdown.

North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable, Lisa Winward, said: “The attack against TC Minto was deplorable, and although he has now returned to the front line after a long period of recovery, the impact on him and his family as a result of this assault was immeasurable.

“I have been saddened to see such a shocking rise in assaults over the last year. TC Minto, along with all the officers and staff across North Yorkshire Police go to work each day to protect the public and to serve the communities of North Yorkshire, and any assault against them is unacceptable.”