ASSAULTS on staff and patients at two Ribble Valley hospitals account for 15 per cent of all violent crime in the borough.

There were 38 incidents of common assault and wounding at Kemple View, near Langho, and Calderstones NHS Trust, Whalley, between April 2004 and March 28 this year.

Unions today described the figures, which mostly involve attacks on staff, as 'concerning', but stressed that extra training was helping them reduce the number of incidents.

The figures were revealed in a draft strategy for the Ribble Valley Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, which described the hospitals as 'the major influences' on violent crime in the borough.

The partnership, which is made up of police, health trusts, probation service and Ribble Valley and Lancashire County Council, is now in talks with both institutions to thrash out ways of reducing violent incidents.

Police figures show that there were 17 woundings out of a total of 171 for the eastern half of the borough, which excludes Longridge, Ribchester and Chipping areas, at Calderstones and eight common assaults out of a total of 83.

Privately-run Kemple View had nine incidents of wounding and four common assaults.

Calderstones treats NHS patients with learning difficulties, while Kemple View is a psychiatric hospital treating patients referred under the Mental Health Act. Both take patients referred by courts for violent offences.

Insp Bob Ford, of Clitheroe police, said: "They deal in specialist fields and operate a zero tolerance policy which puts the numbers up. The NHS for instance reports all assaults, while the Prison Service, which can deal with similar types of people, generally keeps assaults on staff in-house.

"However, it is not right for people to work in fear of being assaulted every week.

"If we had two pubs that accounted for 15 per cent of all violent crime we would be taking action."

Incidents at both venues have risen from 27 since 2003/4 but are still below the previous year's figure of 39.

Dave Hatfield, UNISON's Calderstones branch secretary, said: "The figures are a bit concerning. However, most of the violence recorded is what I would call minimal -- just a flash of the hand for instance.

"We have been receiving extra training which includes de-escalation and relaxation techniques, which help us defuse incidents before they begin."

Russ Pearce, chief executive at Calderstones NHS Trust, said: "Due to the type of people we care for and their needs incidents of this nature can and do occur within the trust. We have worked hard to address this issue, particularly by providing the best training for staff likely to be affected."

A spokesman for Kemple View hospital said: "We routinely work closely with police and other organisations as part of our own risk assessment protocols."