The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018, came into effect following union campaigning in November 2018 and makes it a specific offence to assault emergency workers including police and prison officers, firefighters and NHS staff providing services to the public in England and Wales. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 Act (PCSCA 2022) amended the 2018 Act to double the maximum penalty for common assault or battery committed against an emergency worker who is acting in the exercise of their functions. It increased the maximum penalty from 12 months to two years’ imprisonment.