THE region's police have allies in the state election candidates, who want serious consequences for anyone who puts an officer at risk.
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Following an on-duty police officer in Bathurst being injured on the weekend, some candidates have expressed support for mandatory sentencing for the serious assault of police.
A 20-year-old man from Orange was charged by police after allegedly biting an arresting officer early on Sunday morning.
He was charged with a string of offences, including assaulting an officer in the execution of duty, and will appear before Bathurst Local Court on April 15.
Police will allege the man was walking back towards a local hotel where he had been drinking earlier when he was arrested.
He then allegedly began to fight with police, trying to kick them and, after being taken to the ground, allegedly bit one officer on the bicep.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole called attacks on police a "disgrace" and said he would like to "work with the Police Association to see how we can continue to support our police officers".
"Attacking our men and women in blue who are simply going about their jobs safeguarding the community is an absolute disgrace," Mr Toole said.
"As we’ve seen with this incident … you can expect the consequences to be swift and just.
"There is simply no excuse for this type of behaviour.
"We will not tolerate our police being assaulted on the job – you will be arrested, you will face charges and you will be put before the court."
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party candidate Brenden May has put his support behind the idea of mandatory sentencing, not just for police, but for all emergency service workers.
"These people put their lives on the line for us every day of the week and need to be protected," he said.
He was confident that all SFF candidates would push for mandatory sentencing and work with law enforcement to determine an appropriate sentence for people convicted of serious assaults.
Regarding the weekend incident, Mr May said the alleged attack on the police officer was a "despicable" act.
"Anyone who lashes out at them should be dealt with," he said.
"All the police I know are decent people."
The Western Advocate contacted Labor candidate Beau Riley, but as he is also a police prosecutor, he was unable to comment on mandatory sentencing.
In NSW, there is currently no mandatory sentence for the assault of a police officer.
However, the NSW Parliament passed a law in 2011 to amend the Crimes Act to include mandatory life sentences for persons convicted of murdering police officers.
