At least one paramedic attacked every day in London, shocking new figures reveal

Statistics: New figures reveal the scale of offences against ambulance staff (file photo)
@MPSSouthwark/Twitter
Francesca Gillett15 November 2017

At least one paramedic is physically attacked each day in London, shocking new figures have revealed.

Crews recorded 534 assaults between April 2016 and March this year, up from 456 across the same period the year before.

The figures were released after two paramedics were attacked by an angry coach driver as they treated an elderly and seriously ill patient in Camberwell on Tuesday.

The chief executive of the London Ambulance Service, Garrett Emmerson, released the figures to coincide with the Assaults on Emergency Service Workers Bill which reached the committee stage in Parliament on Wednesday.

“On average, an ambulance crew is assaulted every day in London,” Mr Emmerson said.

“And physical assaults are on the rise – up by over 21 per cent last year."

He added: "It will never be ok to assault our staff and we will always push for the highest possible sentence.

“We are supporting the bill because it calls for tougher punishments for anyone who attacks paramedics and other 999 staff.

“It is unacceptable that our ambulance crews should be targeted in this way as they go about caring for patients in the capital.”

The new law would see offences of assault aggravated when the victim is on shift as a police officer, firefighter, doctor, paramedic or nurse.

The legislation will also require suspects to provide blood and saliva samples and make it an offence to refuse to give samples.

Police arrested a man, 51, following the last incident in south London on Tuesday, which onlookers called “revolting behaviour”.

The LAS also said a single responder in a car was assaulted by a patient in Hayes on Sunday morning.

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