ONE of Gwent's top police officers is backing the Argus's campaign to protect NHS workers from violent patients.

Assembly health minister Jane Hutt still refuses to approve a red card scheme protecting staff from rising levels of abuse in Welsh hospitals.

But Newport's Chief Superintendent Kevin Price says that this month alone, officers from the central station have received NINE calls from the Royal Gwent Hospital asking for police assistance with potentially-violent patients.

The red card scheme already exists in English hospitals - allowing staff to ban persistently violent and aggressive patients for up to a year.

But Ms Hutt will not consider allowing Welsh hospitals to introduce the scheme until a task group set up to examine the issue has made its report - and it has still not reached a conclusion despite four months of deliberations.

A decision is now expected at the end of next month. Meanwhile, Home Sec-retary David Blunkett and his team are considering proposals to put police officers in schools and hospitals to protect staff. The proposals - due to be published in November - are aimed at reassuring hospital staff and teachers.

Chief Superintendent Price said of the red card scheme: "Anything that improves the safety of hospital staff has the backing of the police.

"Every time we get a call it is because the nurses feel unable to cope with the violence there.

"The types of incident we are called to include fights in the town centre where the people involved need hospital treatment.

"With only one hospital in the area, the groups end up in the waiting area together and often continue with their hostilities.

"Another type of incident usually involves people who are intoxicated through drugs or drink and become hostile because they cannot be treated quickly.

"The sad fact is that the people who shout or are violent to staff in the hospital are often those who are not the most sick, and their level of hostility means that the attention is taken away from those who maybe more sick. It is a vicious circle."

Newport's Royal Gwent Hospital forms part of the police officer's regular beat, and its proximity to the central station means that police are able to respond quickly to any calls. A spokesman for the Gwent NHS trust said: "We would welcome permanent policing in accident and emergenc departments. We did have an experiment where we tried it and it seemed to work.

"At the moment the Royal Gwent Hospital's grounds are part of the beat for the police and they pop in on their way around. Obviously, that depends on what is going on elsewhere in Newport.

"Staff are trained to de-escalate violence and we have our own security guys in the hospital. They're in A&E between 10pm and 2am. That works well, but A&E would welcome a police presence. A lot of the problems they face are alcohol-related incidents."