Children in A&E: violent injuries double in past year

Despite an overall decline in violence-related admissions, a survey of A&E units in England and Wales reveals that assaults against under-10s more than doubled in 2007.

Cardiff University’s annual Violence and Society Research Group study found that an estimated that children sustained 8,067 assault-related injuries in 2007, up from 3,805 the previous year.

Professor Jonathan Shepherd, who pioneered the use of A&E data to research violence trends, said: “It is not clear whether this increase is caused by parents and carers – there is also evidence that violence between children in schools and public places may also be responsible.

“Whatever the cause, the roles of child safeguarding agencies such as the police, the NHS and local authorities, should be enhanced to deal with this problem.”

Young men still top the figures

Although the percentage increase is high, the actual number of violence-related injuries to babies and children is relatively low. Young men (18-30) are still by far the most likely to be assaulted, most arriving in A&E on Saturday and Sunday.

However, even this group saw a fall in violent attacks, down from an estimated 173,433 injury patients in 2006 to 148,000 in 2007.

Overall the study found a 12 per cent drop in violence-related attendances to hospital emergency departments with 322,000 people attending A&E following assaults – 43,000 fewer than in 2006.

Downward trend now in eighth year

The 2007 data confirm the Group’s finding last year that relaxing the licensing laws has not increased violence levels.

Dr Shepherd, Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Cardiff’s Dental School, recently won the 2008 Stockholm Prize in Criminology for his work on late-night city centre violence.

His research has informed a number strategies for preventing serious injuries in nightclubs and bars – among them, he conducted the first field study of replacing normal glasses with toughened glass.

As a result many UK pubs switched to toughened glass in the late 1990s, leading to a fall in injuries.