The Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is expected to make criminals pay compensation to police officers they injure.
“Restitution orders” will see criminals pay compensation to police officers who are injured by them, or to good causes.
In addition to compensation to police officers injured in the line of duty, victim surcharges could also find their way into Scottish courts. This money will be paid into a fund to help victims of crime.
The changes are fuelled by figures which show over the last two years that just under 5000 people were convicted of assaulting police officers.
Currently under Scottish law the crime is punishable by a Community Payback Order, a fine, imprisonment, or a compensation order.
Fines are paid to the Treasury, and compensation orders are passed to the victims but concerns have been voiced about how they are utilised in Scottish courts.
A source from the Scottish government said: “Restitution orders could be paid direct to officers or to specific police charities.
“The final details will be decided following the consultation for the bill.
“It could go to an individual officer who has been assaulted, but ideally it would go to a fund for all police officers.
“Depending on the results of the consultation, it might be up to the judge to decide which police charity the money should go to.”
It is believed that both victim surcharges and restitution orders will be introduced in the forthcoming Victims and Witness Bill legislation, which will contain measures designed to support victims of crime.
The amount of compensation payable would either be set by a statute in the new bill, or set by the sentencing judge.
Across the UK assaults on police officers have risen over recent years and the current average is 70 per day.
In Scotland, 6877 officers were attacked in 2009, which represents a considerable increase from the figure of 6270 in 2008.
Charities which will benefit from restitution orders are expected to be the Police Benevolent Fund and the Police Treatment Centre.
The Police Treatment Centre sees around 4000 officers per year and has centres in Scotland and England.
