MORE than 2,000 crimes have been reported at hospitals in Avon and Somerset since 2010, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show.

Information supplied by police also shows the number of crimes committed at each NHS hospital in Somerset.

At Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, there were 145 reported offences between 2010 and 2013, with a further 16 crimes in the first half of 2014.

The majority of these offences - a total of 93 - were thefts, while there were also 41 incidents of violence.

A hospital spokesman said: “Musgrove Park Hospital puts the safety of both its patients and staff first in all instances and has a zero tolerance policy towards any reports of violence or abuse, physical or verbal. 

“We have our own security team who maintain daily patrols and work hard to ensure property, personal or organisational, is kept secure.

 “We also actively encourage staff and, where possible, patients to keep their belongings safe while they are on the hospital grounds. 

“On occasions, where personal belongings of both staff and patients have been reported as stolen, we have worked closely with the police to support recovery of the property wherever possible.”

 In 2010, there were 65 recorded crimes at Musgrove, but only 27 last year. 

The hospital spokesman added: “Crimes at Musgrove are reducing and we hope that by continuing to raise awareness of our zero tolerance towards crime we will keep levels to a minimum, if at all.”

At Yeovil District Hospital, there were 108 reported offences between 2010 and 2013, with a further eight crimes in the first half of 2014.

The majority of these offences - a total of 44 - were incidents of violence, followed by 37 reported thefts. 

At Bridgwater Hospital, 13 crimes were reported between 2010 and 2013, with another two in the first half of 2014.

They include ten thefts, two cases of criminal damage, two incidents of violence and one burglary. 

The figures also show there has only been one reported crime at Wellington Hospital since 2010 - a theft in 2013, and two offences at Minehead Hospital - a theft in 2011 and a violent incident in 2013.

There have been a total of 2,217 crimes reported across all hospitals in the Avon and Somerset area over the last four and a half years.