VIOLENCE towards police staff and volunteers will not be tolerated, a senior officer has warned following an “abhorrent” assault on two special constables.

The two volunteers were attacked after responding to a call in Colchester High Street at 2.15am on Sunday.

One officer suffered a fractured jaw in the incident and requires surgery while the other has a broken nose and a split lip.

Chief Supt Andy Mariner for north Essex said: “Policing can be a difficult and dangerous job at times, and sadly, there are far too many occasions when they are assaulted while trying to do their job to keep our county safe.

“We will not tolerate this kind of abhorrent behaviour and will take robust action against anyone who assaults our staff.

“The special constables who were seriously injured during the incident in Colchester are being supported by their senior managers and I and all their colleagues wish them both a speedy recovery.”

Chairman of Essex Police Federation Steve Taylor urged the force’s volunteers to continue giving up their time.

He said: “I make no distinction between a Special Constables and a regular officer in these circumstances.

“They go out to the same jobs and should be afforded the same protection.“In Essex we have a large special constabulary, one of the biggest in the country, so the chances of them being on the frontline and falling foul of this sort of disgusting behaviour are increased.

“They should be treated exactly the same as a regular officer when it comes to how these sort of things are dealt with by the courts and how they are helped.

“Policing is unpredictable and can sometimes be dangerous as we found out this weekend.

“Ironically, the spontaneity is sometimes what attracts people to the role.

“I would say to anybody looking to volunteer to keep our communities as safe as we can – don’t let the actions of these perpetrators put you off.

“They should not stop you doing the right thing and if for you doing the right thing is giving up your own time, then please continue.”

Darius Laws, who represents the town centre on Colchester Council, called for a blanket ban from all licensed premises in the area for anyone convicted of the attack.

He said: “They simply aren’t welcome here.”

A 20-year-old man arrested on the night of the incident on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and actual bodily harm has been released on bail until February 7.

A 17-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker has been released on bail until the same date.

Another teen has been released without charge while a teenager, 19, was arrested on Sunday night on suspicion of affray and was yesterday being questioned by police.

All those arrested are from Clacton.

Anyone with information should call Colchester CID on 101 quoting incident 129 of January 13 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.