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Calgary police officers were assaulted at a rate on nearly once per day through the first two-thirds of 2018, according to the latest statistics from the force.

Up until the end of August, the service reported there have been 206 assaults on officers so far this year, putting the city on track to reach and possibly surpass the recent high-water mark of 286 officer assaults set in 2016.

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The number of assaults on police over the first eight months of the year amounts to a 14.4 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2017.

It’s a statistic that has seen a general upward trend over the last five years, according to police data.

Sgt. Les Kaminski, former member of the gang and tactical units and current president of the police service’s union, said the year-over-year numbers show the daily dangers faced by frontline officers.

“There’s anomalies that happen statistically … but I think the bottom line is what this reflects is police work is inherently dangerous, not just here in Calgary but across the board,” Kaminski said.