Comment by Gazette reporter Tom Dalby

PERHAPS more shocking than the leniency of the sentence handed down to a man who spat blood into a police officer’s face, is the revelation that he carried out an even worse attack just months before.

PC Rhys Linge says he feels let down by the courts after his attacker, Alexander Fleck, was asked to pay a £50 fine for the offence.

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But a fellow officer, who Fleck slashed in the face with garden shears last year, must feel even worse.

Police officers have a thankless job.

According to the Home Office, there were 21,331 fewer police officers in England and Wales as of March this year, compared with the same point in 2010.

The number of officers across the 43 police forces stands at 122,404 as of March - the lowest number since records began in 1996.

While carrying out their duty, officers are subjected to abuse, violence and ignorance on the part of the people they protect.

Front line officers are often vilified, blamed for things which are out of their control.

They, quite rightly, seek protection and support from wherever they can find it.

The judiciary is one of the few bodies which has the power to properly protect officers.

To most right-minded people, attacking a uniformed police officer in the execution of their duty is unthinkable.

Sentences should surely reflect the serious nature of the crime.

Where is the deterrent in cases such as this?

At a time when police officers feel outnumbered on our streets, the courts simply must be there to help by handing down tough and proportionate punishment for such disgusting attacks.