Shocking footage has emerged of a newly recruited Derbyshire police woman being spat at 24 times.

Tony Wetton, the new chairman of Derbyshire Police Federation, described the ordeal - which happened as a man was detained in the back of an ambulance - as "horrific".

The video shows the handcuffed man laughing as he spits at the officer who repeatedly warned him he was being recorded on her body camera.

He is lying down and flanked by a member of staff from East Midlands Ambulance Service.

The thug smiles as he spits at the police officer
The thug smiles as he spits at the police officer

Mr Wetton said: "This is a case where there is a young female officer in the first year on the job in the back of an ambulance where she has arrested a young bloke.

"He was in handcuffs in an ambulance and they were taking him to hospital.

"The body warn footage has caught it - he has spat at her 24 times, including repeatedly at her face in the course of their journey.

"It really struck a cord with police officers in this county and also across the UK. To me, spitting is the most vile thing you can do to anybody, including police officers.

"As a police officer I would rather be punched in the face or kicked than spat at. It's terrible behaviour. The officer would have had to have been tested for a host of different things.

"It shows the sort of things police officers are up against and the risks they face. That testing period would be a difficult time for any member of the public and that includes police officers."

New chairman of Derbyshire Police Federation Tony Wetton
New chairman of Derbyshire Police Federation Tony Wetton

Mr Wetton said he often hears of cases of officers being spat at and is trying to encourage more officers to report assaults and that includes spitting.

He said: "There is a huge problem of police officers being assaulted but the true numbers are never recorded because they're not all reported by the officer. One thing I want to do as chairman is encourage the reporting of assaults and these types of incidents so the true figure can be reflected.

"It's not acceptable so I really wish we could get more reports. That way we can then make the case and show that more needs to be done to tackle this."

His actions have been described as "vile"
His actions have been described as "vile"

Derbyshire police is a force which allows spit guards to be used by officers. They are used as a way of stopping detainees from biting or spitting officers.

Mr Wetton added: "It's absolutely wrong and totally unacceptable for a police officer to have to endure that scenario.

"The worry that being spat or bitten can have is massive. It can lead to difficulties in relationships and families and create a lot of anxiety."

Nationally the Police Federation has been lobbying politicians to back its national campaign called protecting the protectors. It is aiming for a change in legislation to get tougher sentences for those that assault emergency service workers, better training and more accurate data on police assaults as well as more welfare support for victims of the assaults.