999 staff are under fire

Yobs have physically or verbally attacked police, firefighters, paramedics and hospital staff more than 160 times during the past year.

The bulk of those attacks were on police, who have seen the number of assaults on officers almost double to 98 last year from 59 in the previous year.

In the past 12 months, there were also 40 attacks on hospital staff, 23 on ambulance workers and eight on firefighters.

Superintendent Phil Davies, of Bolton police, said: “Our staff and those of our emergency service partners are here to help the people of Bolton.

“It saddens me that a small minority of mindless individuals make a hard job even harder for the men and women who serve the community.

“We police by consent, so an assault on a police officer is an assault on the values of our society.

“We will continue to work with the criminal justice service in robustly bringing to justice those who disrespect the law and the values of the good people of Bolton.”

The police receive self-defence training to help deal with attacks.

Ian Bailey, Bolton’s fire service borough commander, said attacks on firefighters had fallen significantly in the past six years.

He put the decrease down to work by the fire service in the community, particularly with youths.

He said: “In Bolton, it is about breaking down those barriers by allowing people to see us as human beings, not an authority.

“This process seems to have paid dividends, but, unfortunately, from time-to-time, we do come across hostilities.

“A big improvement has been the use of CCTV on fire engines.

“Hostilities can range from swearing to physical assaults. I used to think it was part and parcel of the job, but it isn’t. It shouldn’t be accepted.”

Eight incidents of “hostility” were reported between April, 2011, and March, 2012, and half of those were in the first three months of this year.

Incidents have gradually fallen since 2005/06, when there were 22.

There were 40 attacks on staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital between September, 2011, and February this year.

Heather Edwards, head of communications at the hospital, said it was difficult to know what was behind the attacks.

She said: “We do encourage staff to report any sort of assault. They shouldn’t have to take it as part of the job.

“To reduce the number of assaults, we do offer conflict resolution training to diffuse the situation before it gets to that stage.

“We do also have 24-hour security staff and good liaisons with the police.”

The North West Ambulance Service has seen an increase in verbal assaults in Bolton from 13 in 2010 to 14 in 2011, but physical assaults have fallen in the past two years by half from 18 in 2009 to nine in 2011.

No assaults were recorded in the past year by doctors’ surgeries, health centres and community nurses..

Case study - separate piece AMONG the violent incidents recorded in the past year were two drunken teenage yobs who pelted firefighters with stones and wood.

Firefighters were trying to put out a wheelie bin fire in Shackleton Grove, Johnson Fold, on Saturday, February 28, when the attack happened.

Christopher Gaffney, aged 18, of Chorley Old Road, was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work after he admitted his part in the attack.

Firefighter Kevin Haslam told how he had to dodge rocks.

Mr Haslam said: “I saw Gaffney get a big bit of concrete and break it on the ground and between the two of them, they were throwing the stones towards us.

“I had to dodge out of the way of one of them.

“My concern was moved from the fire job to what was going on with the youths, because obviously you have got to protect your own safety because there was potential for an attack.”

A 15-year-old was also found guilty of a public order offence in relation to the same incident and is due to be sentenced this month.