A MINI police station could be set up in the Royal Bolton Hospital to tackle the number of violent attacks.

Calls for extra security have been made by the independent inspectors from CHI -- the Commission for Health Improvement -- who have identified the town's busy casualty department as having a high number of serious incidents.

Spy cameras have already been installed to help cut crime against staff.

But hospital bosses are now hoping to secure extra funding for a full-time police room to be opened in the busy accident and emergency unit.

The hospital has strengthened its security at night and will team with the police to launch a high profile publicity campaign warning of a 'zero tolerance' on physical and verbal abuse on staff.

The news comes in the wake of the government giving the NHS more powers to ban patients if they attack hospital staff. However, Ian Hargreaves, the North-west regional director of the Royal College of Nursing, said that long waiting times was fuelling violence towards staff.

Mr Hargreaves said: "Prevention is all very well, but the reason that patients are getting aggressive in Bolton's A&E is due to the long waits. The hospital managers need to speed up treatment in casualty to diffuse situations happening in the first place."

"Doctors and nurses do not go to work to get beaten up -- they shouldn't have to be subject to that."

The hospital has employed security guards to shield its staff since 1995.

In addition, there is closed circuit television, security pads on certain doors and close liaison with police including their own part-time patrol officer.

Saturday nights are said to be the worst with groups of men becoming verbally abusive towards staff.

A spokesman for the Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust said: "The staff in accident and emergency units are particularly vulnerable.

Bolton's Community Health Trust has welcomed steps to reduce violence.

Jenny Crabb from the CHC said: "We would certainly support any measures the hospital wanted to take to help reduce violence against staff and patients."

Last November, a patient was jailed for 18 months after punching a doctor at Bolton's A&E.