AN "unacceptable level of assaults on police," was faced by officers in North Wales over the bank holiday.

Police in the region were assaulted seven times over the busy weekend with one officer having his eye gouged. Others were head butted, kicked, pushed and scratched, resulting in a broken nose, cuts and bruises, during incidents in Caernarfon, Bangor, Bala, Wrexham and Flintshire.

Four people have been charged with five assaults on officers in Gwynedd, a further two offenders have been arrested in Wrexham and work continues to apprehend others suspected to be involved in the other incidents.

The assaults were discussed by senior officers this morning (Tuesday) with representatives from the Police Federation.

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

Temporary Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard said: “This is completely unacceptable and very concerning.

"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.

"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.”

To improve the safety of officers the number of Taser trained officers has increased to nearly 300 in local policing spread across the force area, with additional cover from our firearms officers.

Chief Constable Pritchard said: "What we want is to make sure that our officers are equipped to protect themselves as best they can and to feel confident out on duty on our streets.

"Tasers and also body worn video play an important part in this."