Top cop blasts attacks on mercy crews
Ayrshire’s top police officer has condemned an attack on five ambulance workers in the line of duty.
The crews were allegedly assaulted after they responded to an incident in Ayr’s Wellington Square last Tuesday at 11pm.
The incident was so serious that police were forced to race to the scene.
Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain, Divisional Commander for Ayrshire, blasted the incident as “utterly unacceptable” and said :“Thankfully nobody has sustained serious injuries as a result of this incident.
“But I would like to emphasise violence or any form of abusive behaviour is not part of our emergency service’s job and it will not be tolerated.
“Our police officers and partners work tirelessly to keep our communities safe and any incidents of this nature will be dealt with robustly.”
On social media, Ch Supt Hussain added: “Assaults on emergency workers in Ayrshire are on the rise.
“The debt of gratitude we owe to the emergency services has never been greater, so now more than ever, please treat them with respect. “This is utterly unacceptable.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service’s head of service in Ayrshire and Arran, John Burnham, also tweeted about the incident and thanked police for their swift response.
He said: “Ambulance personnel do an amazing job in often difficult and challenging circumstances.
“They do it because they care. I’m appalled to find that five of my team had been subject to very challenging behaviour.”
A 27-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.