Weekly assaults on ambos

AMBULANCE officers in Townsville are being physically or verbally assaulted on average once a week, latest statistics show.

The Queensland Ambulance Service statistics showed that during the past nine months – the period between July last year and March this year – there were 42 assaults against Townsville paramedics.

That figure includes 20 deliberate physical attacks and 22 verbal threats.

In the 2015- 16 financial year, there were 26 deliberate physical attacks and 20 verbal threats against Townsville officers. In Cairns during the same period, there were 22 deliberate physical attacks and 12 verbal attacks on paramedics.

Townsville Assistant Commissioner Robbie Medlin said even one assault, whether physical or verbal, was too many. “These are highly trained clinicians that do an outstanding job under sometimes very oppressive conditions and sometimes under extreme crisis,” he said. “Thankfully in Townsville we have not had a lost time injury as a result of an assault, and it is not something I want to see up here.”

Mr Medlin said the message he wanted to relay to the public was simple.

“We are there to treat you, we are not there to judge you, or to insert the law,” he said. “Sometimes that can be a challenging job and because, sometimes, the minority of people we treat react in a less than a positive manner to us.”

Mr Medlin said the QAS Paramedic Safety Taskforce Report was finalised last year and the recommendations have been followed.

“As a result of the taskforce’s recommendations we have an increased occupational violence training for our staff,” he said. “It’s about being situationally aware and ensuring scenes are safe.”

Mr Medlin said most people respected the role of paramedics.