POLICE officers in west Wales were spat at or bitten more than once a week while carrying out their duties, shocking new figures have revealed.

Now Dyfed-Powys Police officers are to be equipped with spit guards.

The equipment is used to help minimise the risk of passing on diseases as well as physical injuries caused by spitting and biting.

Officers on the front line across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys will all receive the guards, which are placed over the head and are made of a loose-fitting, lightweight mesh fabric.

Each of the guards is single-use, and is to be disposed of after use. They are placed over the person who is spitting at officers, and designed to block the transmission of blood-borne viruses, including Hepatitis C.

Twenty crimes involving biting and 40 of spitting at Dyfed-Powys Police staff and officers were recorded in 2017.

Assistant chief constable Richard Lewis said: “Both spitting and biting are a particularly unpleasant form of assault and should not be considered by anyone to be an acceptable part of the job.

“Assaults by spitting and biting can have long term and distressing implications for officers, who sometimes have to take medication for many weeks afterwards to prevent infection.

“Use of force tactics, such as spit and bite guards, are there to protect not only the public but also for the safety of our officers, who face dangerous situations every day.

“It is imperative that we employ proportionate and appropriate tactics in each situation we face in order to achieve our number one objective, protecting the public.

“Our officers go through rigorous and continued training on tactics which are considered by the Home Office as a use of force. Officers are highly trained to use force proportionately, lawfully and only when necessary.

“The chief officer team has listened to concerns raised by officers as well as taking on board recent recommendations from the National Police Chief’s Council and have taken the decision that spit guards will be rolled out to all front line officers across the force, in line with 25 other police forces nationally.”

After a spit guard has been used, the individual will not be left unattended at any point.

Officers are required to record every incident where a spit guard has been used, in line with NPCC guidelines.