POLICE in north Wales were assau­lted seven times over the busy bank holiday weekend at the end of August – including one incident in Bala.

Across the region, an officer had his eye gouged, while others were headbutted, kicked, pushed and scratched, resulting in a broken nose, cuts and bruises.

These assaults were discussed recently by senior officers with representatives from the Police Federation.

A specialist group is being established to review these assaults in detail, which will report to the Force Operations Committee.

Temporary chief constable Gareth Pritchard was outraged.

“This is completely unacceptable and very concerning,” he said.

“Our officers are out there doing a demanding job, working hard to protect the most vulnerable and to keep people safe.

“An assault of any kind should never be considered ‘part of the job’.

“Our officers get good training and equipment and we seek to ensure that welfare arrangements are readily available when they become victims of an assault.

“These attacks leave their mark physically and mentally on the officers and in some cases their families as well.

“Some of the assaults are very serious and we include impact statements on these assaults to ensure the courts are fully sighted on the effect on the officers and their families.

“I have today signed an impact statement on a serious assault­ an officer suffered, as I feel that as chief constable it is my duty to support my officers and highlight to the courts the effect of those injuries on our staff who are working hard to safeguard the public.”

Four people have been charged with five assaults on officers in Gwynedd and a further two offenders have been arrested in the Wrexham area.

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online tomorrow