POLICE administered first aid to a man bleeding from the neck after an attack in Bournemouth town centre on Friday night.

The incident, documented on social media as part of a Dorset Police campaign to promote a safer festive season, saw officers left treating the victim for around half an hour until paramedics were able to attend.

The injured man had been glassed during a late-night fracas. A suspect was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

Officers had earlier rushed to reports of a robbery on the outskirts of Bournemouth. A 55-year-old man was targeted.

Police also spent part of the night searching for a man who made off after a domestic incident. The dog unit assisted in the hunt, and a suspect was later arrested.

PC Anthony Berry and PC Asher Lee-Duncan gave live updates on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram during the course of the evening.

The real-time updates provided an insight of the work of police in a town that "never sleeps", said Superintendent Jared Parkin.

"It was an average Friday night, and not an especially unusual evening for us," Supt Parkin said.

"It's good for people to see what we do."

Thousands of Twitter users have now watched videos taken during the night. Others have commented on the diversity of the work carried out by the force, including the first aid skills of officers.

Supt Parkin said: "The fact is that we don't stop.

"Bournemouth and Poole are now towns that never sleep."

As reported in the Daily Echo earlier this month, Chief Inspector Bryan Duffy said 'preloading' - which involves drinking alcohol, often in large quantities, before going out socially - can put people at higher risk of crime.

Supt Parkin said: "As Bryan says, there is a trend for people to buy and drink alcohol before going into town.

"Alcohol is bought at off-licences and shops and people enjoy a drink before they leave the house. Venues also stay open significantly later than they used to.

"This means we're still getting calls at 6am."

The officer said he hoped the online updates had given people an insight into the incidents routinely dealt with by police.

"There is a huge variety in the type of incidents police will deal with," he said.

"The service is everything to everybody."

A spokesperson from the South Western Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) said: "SWAST clinically triages those patients most in need of an ambulance who are in a life-threatening, time critical sitation.

"When demand is very high, we will be doing everything we can to attend as many incidents as possible in order of clinical priority."