MORE than 200 incidents of assault against local authority staff were recorded in Flintshire over recent years, according to data.

Freedom of Information figures obtained by the Leader shows the total number of assaults sustained by Flintshire Council staff from the beginning of 2020 up to March 20 this year.

In that time, there have been 250 assaults recorded - 150 of which were physical in nature, and 100 were verbal.

The year with the highest number of both types of assault was 2022, when there were 51 physical and 28 verbal assaults.

In providing the information, Flintshire Council gave context as to how most of these incidents came to pass.

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Sharon Carney, the authority's corporate manager for people and organisational development, explained: “The majority of these incidents occur whilst our employees are supporting service users in our special schools, mental health services, learning disabilities and older people settings. 

"Our employees are trained in a range of skills, including non-violent communication, de-escalation techniques, and physical intervention’s. 

"Immediate support following an incident is provided by the employee’s line manager, followed by additional support, if required, via occupational health.  

"Additional training is provided, if circumstances warrant it.”