ROYAL Preson Hospital staff are being trained in self defence to break free from violent visitors.

The course features mock attacks where staff free themselves from being grabbed by the throat, by the arm or from behind.

Laura Brown, who deals with patients' travelling expenses, has completed the Breakaway course.

She said: "I have been verbally abused and had things thrown at me. Colleagues have been threatened with violence. It can get aggressive and an attack could happen at any time. The course was fun and I feel safer in and out of work."

The training is part of a five-year security strategy which includes CCTV cameras and a new sophisticated swipe card system in the paediatrics department. Hospital access will eventually be whittled down to one set of doors during quieter periods.

A computerised register of staff pictures and details means an instant check-up on unfamiliar faces, and notices warn staff to wear ID badges as outsiders regularly come in and pose as doctors.

Hospital security boss Barry McEwan said: "We have to keep the hospital as a welcoming open place but create a secure environment."

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