Police: Spit Guards
(asked on 9th July 2025) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times spit hoods have been used on members of the public in each of the English territorial police forces in each of the last three full years for which figures are available.
The Home Office collects and publishes information annually on the number of times a spit hood was used on members of the public by police force area in the statistical publication on the police use of force. The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2024 and can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-use-of-force-statistics-april-2023-to-march-2024
The number of times a spit hood tactic (referred to as a spit and bite guard in the statistical publication) was used on members of the public, broken down by police force area, and by financial year for each of the last three years, can be found in data table 14 and is copied below.
From Table 14 of the Police use of force, England and Wales April 2023 to March 2024 statistical publication. The number of times spit and bite guard tactics were used by police force area for the last 3 years are included below. Data for 2024/25 will be published in November/December 2025.
Year | Police force | Tactic | Total number of tactics |
2021/22 | Total England and Wales | Spit and bite guard | 8,281 |
2021/22 | Avon & Somerset | Spit and bite guard | 416 |
2021/22 | Bedfordshire | Spit and bite guard | 77 |
2021/22 | Cambridgeshire | Spit and bite guard | 87 |
2021/22 | Cheshire | Spit and bite guard | 113 |
2021/22 | City of London | Spit and bite guard | 17 |
2021/22 | Cleveland | Spit and bite guard | 12 |
2021/22 | Cumbria | Spit and bite guard | 46 |
2021/22 | Derbyshire | Spit and bite guard | 98 |
2021/22 | Devon & Cornwall | Spit and bite guard | 345 |
2021/22 | Dorset | Spit and bite guard | 145 |
2021/22 | Durham | Spit and bite guard | 46 |
2021/22 | Dyfed-Powys | Spit and bite guard | 32 |
2021/22 | Essex | Spit and bite guard | 333 |
2021/22 | Gloucestershire | Spit and bite guard | 45 |
2021/22 | Greater Manchester | Spit and bite guard | 636 |
2021/22 | Gwent | Spit and bite guard | 83 |
2021/22 | Hampshire and Isle of Wight | Spit and bite guard | 117 |
2021/22 | Hertfordshire | Spit and bite guard | 158 |
2021/22 | Humberside | Spit and bite guard | 115 |
2021/22 | Kent | Spit and bite guard | 225 |
2021/22 | Lancashire | Spit and bite guard | 92 |
2021/22 | Leicestershire | Spit and bite guard | 113 |
2021/22 | Lincolnshire | Spit and bite guard | 55 |
2021/22 | Merseyside | Spit and bite guard | 310 |
2021/22 | Metropolitan | Spit and bite guard | 1,557 |
2021/22 | Norfolk | Spit and bite guard | 115 |
2021/22 | North Wales | Spit and bite guard | 4 |
2021/22 | North Yorkshire | Spit and bite guard | 61 |
2021/22 | Northamptonshire | Spit and bite guard | 83 |
2021/22 | Northumbria | Spit and bite guard | 403 |
2021/22 | Nottinghamshire | Spit and bite guard | 83 |
2021/22 | South Wales | Spit and bite guard | 159 |
2021/22 | South Yorkshire | Spit and bite guard | 127 |
2021/22 | Staffordshire | Spit and bite guard | 79 |
2021/22 | Suffolk | Spit and bite guard | 68 |
2021/22 | Surrey | Spit and bite guard | 167 |
2021/22 | Sussex | Spit and bite guard | 222 |
2021/22 | Thames Valley | Spit and bite guard | 269 |
2021/22 | Warwickshire | Spit and bite guard | 43 |
2021/22 | West Mercia | Spit and bite guard | 163 |
2021/22 | West Midlands | Spit and bite guard | 502 |
2021/22 | West Yorkshire | Spit and bite guard | 399 |
2021/22 | Wiltshire | Spit and bite guard | 61 |
2022/23 | Total England and Wales | Spit and bite guard | 8,275 |
2022/23 | Avon & Somerset | Spit and bite guard | 379 |
2022/23 | Bedfordshire | Spit and bite guard | 86 |
2022/23 | Cambridgeshire | Spit and bite guard | 114 |
2022/23 | Cheshire | Spit and bite guard | 91 |
2022/23 | City of London | Spit and bite guard | 15 |
2022/23 | Cleveland | Spit and bite guard | 151 |
2022/23 | Cumbria | Spit and bite guard | 80 |
2022/23 | Derbyshire | Spit and bite guard | 101 |
2022/23 | Devon & Cornwall | Spit and bite guard | 309 |
2022/23 | Dorset | Spit and bite guard | 150 |
2022/23 | Durham | Spit and bite guard | 35 |
2022/23 | Dyfed-Powys | Spit and bite guard | 19 |
2022/23 | Essex | Spit and bite guard | 398 |
2022/23 | Gloucestershire | Spit and bite guard | 46 |
2022/23 | Greater Manchester | Spit and bite guard | 688 |
2022/23 | Gwent | Spit and bite guard | 103 |
2022/23 | Hampshire and Isle of Wight | Spit and bite guard | 104 |
2022/23 | Hertfordshire | Spit and bite guard | 146 |
2022/23 | Humberside | Spit and bite guard | 75 |
2022/23 | Kent | Spit and bite guard | 173 |
2022/23 | Lancashire | Spit and bite guard | 116 |
2022/23 | Leicestershire | Spit and bite guard | 107 |
2022/23 | Lincolnshire | Spit and bite guard | 52 |
2022/23 | Merseyside | Spit and bite guard | 278 |
2022/23 | Metropolitan | Spit and bite guard | 1,421 |
2022/23 | Norfolk | Spit and bite guard | 91 |
2022/23 | North Wales | Spit and bite guard | 32 |
2022/23 | North Yorkshire | Spit and bite guard | 66 |
2022/23 | Northamptonshire | Spit and bite guard | 88 |
2022/23 | Northumbria | Spit and bite guard | 423 |
2022/23 | Nottinghamshire | Spit and bite guard | 137 |
2022/23 | South Wales | Spit and bite guard | 150 |
2022/23 | South Yorkshire | Spit and bite guard | 104 |
2022/23 | Staffordshire | Spit and bite guard | 60 |
2022/23 | Suffolk | Spit and bite guard | 83 |
2022/23 | Surrey | Spit and bite guard | 134 |
2022/23 | Sussex | Spit and bite guard | 227 |
2022/23 | Thames Valley | Spit and bite guard | 276 |
2022/23 | Warwickshire | Spit and bite guard | 39 |
2022/23 | West Mercia | Spit and bite guard | 80 |
2022/23 | West Midlands | Spit and bite guard | 619 |
2022/23 | West Yorkshire | Spit and bite guard | 395 |
2022/23 | Wiltshire | Spit and bite guard | 34 |
2023/24 | Total England and Wales | Spit and bite guard | 9,844 |
2023/24 | Avon & Somerset | Spit and bite guard | 410 |
2023/24 | Bedfordshire | Spit and bite guard | 64 |
2023/24 | British Transport Police | Spit and bite guard | 359 |
2023/24 | Cambridgeshire | Spit and bite guard | 109 |
2023/24 | Cheshire | Spit and bite guard | 84 |
2023/24 | City of London | Spit and bite guard | 1 |
2023/24 | Cleveland | Spit and bite guard | 233 |
2023/24 | Cumbria | Spit and bite guard | 113 |
2023/24 | Derbyshire | Spit and bite guard | 91 |
2023/24 | Devon & Cornwall | Spit and bite guard | 260 |
2023/24 | Dorset | Spit and bite guard | 149 |
2023/24 | Durham | Spit and bite guard | 49 |
2023/24 | Dyfed-Powys | Spit and bite guard | 22 |
2023/24 | Essex | Spit and bite guard | 486 |
2023/24 | Gloucestershire | Spit and bite guard | 77 |
2023/24 | Greater Manchester | Spit and bite guard | 627 |
2023/24 | Gwent | Spit and bite guard | 124 |
2023/24 | Hampshire and Isle of Wight | Spit and bite guard | 153 |
2023/24 | Hertfordshire | Spit and bite guard | 170 |
2023/24 | Humberside | Spit and bite guard | 99 |
2023/24 | Kent | Spit and bite guard | 230 |
2023/24 | Lancashire | Spit and bite guard | 119 |
2023/24 | Leicestershire | Spit and bite guard | 118 |
2023/24 | Lincolnshire | Spit and bite guard | 36 |
2023/24 | Merseyside | Spit and bite guard | 361 |
2023/24 | Metropolitan | Spit and bite guard | 1,525 |
2023/24 | Norfolk | Spit and bite guard | 121 |
2023/24 | North Wales | Spit and bite guard | 36 |
2023/24 | North Yorkshire | Spit and bite guard | 103 |
2023/24 | Northamptonshire | Spit and bite guard | 142 |
2023/24 | Northumbria | Spit and bite guard | 521 |
2023/24 | Nottinghamshire | Spit and bite guard | 135 |
2023/24 | South Wales | Spit and bite guard | 165 |
2023/24 | South Yorkshire | Spit and bite guard | 133 |
2023/24 | Staffordshire | Spit and bite guard | 114 |
2023/24 | Suffolk | Spit and bite guard | 69 |
2023/24 | Surrey | Spit and bite guard | 179 |
2023/24 | Sussex | Spit and bite guard | 237 |
2023/24 | Thames Valley | Spit and bite guard | 422 |
2023/24 | Warwickshire | Spit and bite guard | 25 |
2023/24 | West Mercia | Spit and bite guard | 89 |
2023/24 | West Midlands | Spit and bite guard | 754 |
2023/24 | West Yorkshire | Spit and bite guard | 476 |
2023/24 | Wiltshire | Spit and bite guard | 54 |