Law reforms are being considered by the ACT government to make penalties harsher for assaulting front-line police officers or emergency service workers.
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Police and Emergency Services Minister Mick Gentleman said the government had been looking at the reforms in recent months.
The minister did not say when the potential new laws would be drafted.
While the number of recorded assaults on police officers dropped in Canberra last financial year, advocates say the ACT has lagged behind the rest of the country on the issue.
An ACT police spokesman said during the 2018-19 financial year, 39 police officers were assaulted while on the job.
The figure dropped from the 49 assaults recorded during 2017-18, however, the spokesman said not all assaults against police are recorded.
"Between January 1, 2012 and May 31, 2019, there have been 320 recorded instances of assaults upon police," he said.
"ACT Policing supports legislative changes to distinguish common assault from an assault against emergency service personnel and police."
Then-ACT chief police officer Justine Saunders told The Canberra Times in 2018 a separate criminal offence should be legislated for attacks on police officers.
Those accused of assaulting an emergency worker in the ACT are charged with common assault, which comes with a maximum two year prison sentence.
Assaulting a police office is a separate offence in other states like NSW and WA, with mandatory sentencing for the crime in Victoria.
Mr Gentleman said the safety and wellbeing of police and emergency service workers had great importance.
"Assaults are already treated very seriously by the laws and courts that protect all Canberrans," Mr Gentleman said.
"We are in regular discussions with ACT Policing and other first responders about how best to support their important work."
However, Australian Federal Police Association president Angela Smith said the ACT government had been stalling on the issue of introducing a separate offence.
In one recent incident, a female police officer was punched in the throat by a man in Civic late last year, but Ms Smith said despite the man being found guilty, the sentence was "disappointing".
"The man received an eight month good behaviour order for assaulting the police officer, a six month good behaviour order for possessing a knife in a public place and three $50 fines," Ms Smith said.
"If this person was willing to punch a police officer, what would he do to a member of the community?"
The association has been calling for strengthened legislation since 2012.
While the association said it's not calling for mandatory sentences for assaulting a police officer, Ms Smith said stronger penalties were needed.
"The ACT is lagging behind the rest of Australia in relation to this type of legislation," she said.
"We have spoken with Minister Gentleman's office and have offered to assist in the drafting of the legislation, and we've heard nothing back.
"We believe that common assault doesn't accurately describe and reflect the seriousness of the offence."
Ms Smith said the ACT should look to NSW or WA on how the proposed laws should be drafted.
A review of the Western Australian mandatory sentencing laws in 2014 found there was a 27 per cent decrease in the number of police being assaulted.