Assaults on police sky-rocket as at least one officer is attacked ever hour

The shocking statistics show that more than 500 officers were seriously injured last year - up by a fifth in two years.

And separate figures revealed that the number of officers killed or injured by a firearm has soared by 250 per cent since 1997.

At least one police officer is attacked every hour while on duty, according to Home Office figures

Rank-and-file leaders warned that the true level of violence was even higher as many officers did not report minor injuries or assaults.

There were 11,392 assaults on police officers in 2007/2008 - the equivalent of 31 a day.

While the total was a slight decrease on recent years, the number of officers suffering serious injury is one the rise.

A total of 502 were seriously injured on duty last year, compared with 423 in 2005/2006 - an increase of 19 per cent.

Simon Reed, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, said: 'We're convinced there is under-reporting among officers, many of whom will not report a minor assault.'