Drunk woman accused of biting officer

File photo / Northern Advocate

Another Whangarei police officer has allegedly been attacked while on duty.

In the latest incident, a male police officer was allegedly bitten by a drunk woman as he took her to the police station, leaving him requiring medical attention at Whangarei Hospital.

The alleged attack comes just three months after another officer was assaulted while on duty - and earlier in the year another police officer had part of his lip bitten off.

Acting Sergeant James Calvert said the 29-year-old woman was being transported from Walton Plaza to the station in the back of a patrol car at 12.50am yesterday.

The woman tried to kick the driver of the police car, causing him to nearly lose control of the vehicle, police said. The other officer in the car had to restrain her.

"While being restrained by another officer seated beside her, she bit him in the arm. He required medical treatment," Mr Calvert said.

The woman is facing charges of disorderly behaviour, resisting police and a wounding charge that's yet to be finalised.

She has been bailed to appear in the Whangarei District Court on Wednesday.

The latest attack comes barely three months after three officers were allegedly assaulted by a 17-year-old who was spotted breaching a court-ordered curfew.

He allegedly back-handed a female officer across her face, punched and headbutted another officer in the face and then punched the third, also in the face.

Earlier this year, two Whangarei officers were seriously assaulted, one having part of his lip bitten off.

Another was left nursing a broken nose and bruised face following a scuffle with brawlers outside a Vine St nightclub.

Mr Calvert, who has suffered minor injuries in separate attacks while on duty in Whangarei and Counties Manukau, said alcohol played a big part in most of the attacks on police.

"It diminishes a person's ability to make rational decisions. You get people who would never do that but because they've had too much alcohol, they become a different person," he said.

Mr Calvert said officers didn't usually think of possible reasons for attacks on them when they happened, but later wondered what went through the minds of attackers.

"In this case, the situation was diffused, she had already been arrested, was being transported to the station, so what did she gain or what was her motivation to attack the officer?"

The Government plans to introduce legislation calling for tougher sentencing for offences aimed at police and prison officers. Assaults on law enforcement officers will become aggravating factors at sentencing under changes to the Sentencing Act.

The Ministry of Justice, in consultation with police and the Department of Corrections, will look at the adequacy of existing special offences relating to assaults on law enforcement officers and will report back to the Government by June next year.