EMERGENCY service staff in Gwent have been bitten, butted, kicked, punched, rammed with vehicles and spat at – all in the course of their work.

And we can reveal that over the past two years, hundreds of ambulance, fire and police workers have faced violence at the hands of members of the public while trying to do their jobs.

Police officers, paramedics and firefighters in the region were among the 328 emergency workers who have reported incidents since April 2009.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show 103 Gwent Police officers were assaulted on duty in 2009/10, compared with 93 in 2010/11.

In the past two years, 16 officers were bitten, nine were butted, 20 were kicked and 31 were punched.

Six were spat at, seven were hit by an object, two were rammed with a vehicle and 102 suffered violence from people resisting arrest.

Two officers were sprayed with a noxious substance and one was pricked with a needle while searching someone.

Welsh Ambulance Service staff suffered injuries including fractures, bruising, bites, abrasions, sprains, swelling and dislocation over the past two years.

A total of 58 incidents happened in Gwent – 21 in 2009/10 and 37 in 2010/11 – comprising 23 physical attacks, 19 verbal attacks, 11 acts of aggressive or threatening behaviour, four threats to use a weapon on staff and one incident where violence and abuse was used without intent against crews from all five council areas, A Newport paramedic, who did not want to be named, was punched in the face as he helped a patient on to a hospital bed at the Royal Gwent Hospital last year. The patient was later arrested.

The paramedic suffered a black eye and vision problems and had to take a week off work because he was unable to drive.

He said: “I was angry, I was trying to help the guy, my colleague had to restrain him and he went crazy at us: we hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I had to take a week off and it’s difficult with staffing levels, which are low enough as it is. It has a knock-on effect to the rest of the team.

“It happens quite a a lot, it’s very frustrating – we are just trying to do out job.”

Since April 2009, there have been 39 reports of objects being thrown at South Wales firefighters or appliances across South Wales and 26 incidents of verbal abuse.

There was one report of harassment and seven other acts of aggression up to the end of March this year. In total, there were 39 attacks against firefighters in 2009/10 and 35 in 2010/11. The fire service was unable to give a breakdown of Gwent incidents.

  • A GWENT Police spokeswoman said the health and safety of its staff was a force priority and all student officers undergo training for conflict management and unarmed defence tactics to ensure safety whilst on duty.

She added the force had a dedicated occupational health team with specially trained nurses, welfare staff and counsellors who offer support and services to both police officers and staff.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service was unavailable for comment.

EDITORIAL COMMENT: List is truly disgusting

IT IS absolutely appalling that our 999 emergency workers are subject to physical attack, or the threat of it, as they go about their daily business.

Not only are there too many such incidents, revealed by our Freedom of Information requests to the three 999 services, but the level of violence involved and the resulting injuries caused during are of real concern.

The catalogue of attacks includes police officers being hit, spat at, rammed with vehicles and butted, as dozens of them have faced violence from those resisting arrest over the past two years.

Likewise, the fire and ambulance services have seen members of their staff coming under the same sorts of mindless attacks.

The list is quite shocking.

As with hospital A&E staff, ambulance, fire and police officers all expect to have to work in difficult situations.

They know that as soon as they don their uniforms and no doubt it is spelled out to them during their training.

But they should not have to face the added hazard of violence, or threats of it, especially when, as it is in some cases, it is from the very people they are trying to help.

There are some exceptional people among the ranks of our combined 999 services.

It is a real pity that among the general public there are still those who cannot see that and who behave in such a loutish manner.