Paramedics to get body cams after attacks soar
Ambulance service in bid to halt rising tide of violence
PARAMEDICS in the West Midlands are to be fitted with body cameras following a surge in attacks while on duty.
A trial on bodyworn cameras will begin at the end of the month in a bid to stem the tide of violence against ambulance workers on the job.
Attacks on paramedics have more than tripled over the last decade, surging to almost 600 last year.
More than half those incidents – 376 – happened in the Black Country while 307 happened in Birmingham.
Some West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) workers also began wearing stab vests last month as part of a separate trial.
Twenty two volunteers based at Willenhall station are taking part in the trial, including Deena Evans, who was stabbed while responding to a call in Wolverhampton last year.
Medic Adam Aston, from Dudley, said it was a “sad state of affairs” that such extreme protective measures
were having to be taken. Mr Aston, a paramedic of 17 years, who was assaulted for the second time in eight months in July, told the Post: “Without a doubt the job has become more violent.
“The ambulance service is doing
everything it can to put measures in place to keep us safe.
“It is quite a sad state of affairs that people feel, when our job is to help people, that we need that sort of protection.”
Nearly 1,300 cameras will be rolled out following funding of almost £1 million from NHS England meaning each frontline ambulance worker will get one.
The cameras are similar to those worn by police officers and can be switched on to record dangerous or threatening incidents.
They can act as a key tool to assist evidence gathering when an officer is assaulted.
Ms Evans, 40, was with colleague Mick Hipgrave when they were stabbed by Martyn Smith, 53, in Stephens Close, Ashmore Park.
The mother-of-three was left fearing
she was going to die after being knifed in the chest in the vicious attack. Smith was jailed for nine years.
WMAS chief executive Anthony Marsh said: “The safety of my staff is of paramount importance to me. If they are injured, they are not available to respond to patients.
“The cameras will allow staff to record incidents where they feel at risk with any recordings being able to be given in evidence should an actual assault occur.
“Hopefully, they will never have to be used, but if they are, the evidence will hopefully increase the rate of successful prosecutions and subsequent sentencing.
“All too often my staff feel let down by the judicial system and this important step will help to redress that situation.”