A violent incident of a UK police officer being run over in Manchester has attracted attention to a growth of violence in England and Wales.
The 43-year-old police officer was struck by the van after being called to reports of a disturbance in the English city of Manchester.
Witnesses claimed the police officer had tried to approach a black van but ran down the officer in a botched escape attempt.
The officer is believed to be in a stable condition in hospital with injuries on his leg, the van driver has not yet been apprehended but police are continuing to investigate.
“It was madness. The van driver scraped the side of my car as he was trying to get away from two chasing police cars,” Witness Jack Heys, 23, told the reporters on the scene.
The rise in violent crime
The incident is part of a more significant trend of violent crime in England and Wales. Official statistics on police recorded crime show there were 1.3 million violent…