THOUSANDS of Welsh council workers are assaulted and abused every year while doing their jobs, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed.
One staff member in the Vale of Glamorgan was stabbed on duty while another was sprayed in the face with CS gas. They were among more than 3,000 recorded incidents across Wales in the past two years.
Plaid Cymru AM Chris Franks, who uncovered the figures said it was “appalling” that so many public servants are subjected to violence and abuse while carrying out their job.
And the true figure is even higher, with six of Wales’ 22 local authorities, including the second largest – Rhondda Cynon Taf – and two big city councils – Swansea and Newport – failing to disclose numbers.
The others were Flint, Neath Port Talbot and Wrexham.
Some workers were forced to take time off work to recover from attacks, costing council taxpayers, while others will have received compensation for injuries suffered on duty.
Many of the assaults, which included verbal and physical abuse, took place in residential care homes and special needs schools.
Mr Franks, a former Cardiff Council worker, added: “Training is important to ensure staff that deal with the public during their work have effective communication skills and are able to deal with difficult people.
“This needs to be on a regular basis with refreshers arranged regularly and not as a result of an attack on a member of staff.
“I’m pleased local authorities are treating this issue seriously and have strong policies in place. But as a society we have to ensure these people are prosecuted.”
Bridgend Council employees were subject to 343 physical assaults in 2006-07, the most of any authority which responded to the request.
But chief executive Dr Jo Farrar said attacks had fallen 33% by 2007-08 to 244.
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