A campaign to bring in tougher sentencing for those responsible for killing emergency services workers has been backed by Cumbria Police Federation.

Harper’s Law is a campaign launched by Lissie Harper appealing for tougher sentencing – including life sentences – for people who kill emergency services workers.

She launched the appeal after her husband, Police Constable Andrew Harper, was dragged behind a getaway vehicle to his death in August 2019.

The culprits said did not know he had become attached to the vehicle while trying to apprehend them, and so received manslaughter charges.

Speaking to the Cumbria Police Federation's website, chairman Paul Williams said: “Cumbria Police Federation fully supports this campaign.

"The brutality of what happened to PC Andrew Harper was sickening and brought home to cops on the frontline the dangers they face every day protecting the public.”

“It is just a real shame that it takes such an incident to force a campaign that has to tell the justice system to wake up and start supporting our frontline workers.

“The display of contempt from those individuals sent down for this crime speaks volumes.

“The law needs to be firmly on the side of the victims and demonstrate these criminals have no place in our society.”

The police federation recently promoted a Change.org petition launched by Lissie Harper for tougher sentencing, asking the public to add their signature.

The targeted one million signatures is drawing closer, with 756,943 names already backing Harper’s Law.

A spokesperson for the Harper’s Law campaign said: “We ask police officers, firefighters, nurses, doctors, prison officers and paramedics to go out there and keep the Queen’s peace on behalf of society.

“We ask them to save people’s lives. We ask them to protect us.

“So society must offer the greatest protection for those dedicated public servants who are killed protecting it. That is what Harper’s Law would provide. An appropriate deterrent and a suitable punishment.

They added: “The law must be changed. We want to work with the Government, politicians of all parties and the fantastic British public on this.”

Cumbria Police Federation has recently called on the Government to ensure officers have adequate protection when policing protests.

The call followed a police officers being slashed across the face during a protest at Old Trafford that turned violent.