“It is utterly unacceptable that any police officer should come under attack for simply doing their job,” she said.
“They are dads, mums, sons and daughters; they miss out on time with their loved ones over the Christmas period to keep our communities safe and they should be supported to carry out their duties free from the fear of being assaulted.”
She added that an attack on the police was “an attack on everyone”, as injured officers cannot work and damaged vehicles cannot be used which “impacts on the ability of the police to respond to emergencies”.
The minister reiterated her intention to introduce legislation to give tougher sentences to people who assault officers or any person “who is providing services to the public, performing a public duty or delivering a public service”.