A MAN IN Co Tyrone has been arrested on suspicion of a range of offences after he headbutted a female police officer and spat in the face of her colleague.

In all, the 42-year-old man was arrested on two counts of assault on police, driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs and resisting arrest.

At around 8pm yesterday evening, the PSNI received reports of a two-car collision on the Omagh Road in Ballygawley.

Officers responded and found that one of the drivers had fled from the scene on foot.

He was located a short distance away at the rear of a local bar and upon detection, he headbutted a female police officer.

The man was arrested and then taken to hospital as a precaution, where he spat in the face of a second police officer.

He remains in custody.

PSNI Chief Inspector Scott Fallis said: “To be headbutted, spat on or assaulted in any way whilst simply doing your job is sickening and it should never, ever be thought of as an acceptable consequence of working in policing.

He added that it is to the “credit” of the two officers that they remained on duty for the remainder of their shifts and continued to provide a policing service throughout the night.

Fallis added: “Police officers come to work to help people, to provide a service and they should never expect to be attacked for it.

“There should be no tolerance in society for attacks on police.”