Ambulance crews are attacked again
MPS VOICE ANGER AFTER YET ANOTHER WEEKEND OF VIOLENCE
MPS have condemned another weekend of violence against ambulance crews after the North East Ambulance Service recorded the seventh attack in 14 days.
The North East Ambulance Service reported this week that ambulance crews had been assaulted and vehicles damaged so they were no longer able to respond to life-threatening emergencies – for the third weekend in a row. In an incident in the early hours of Saturday morning, a crew were assaulted after they picked up a man walking on the A19 dual carriageway in the wrong direction near Peterlee.
They offered to take him to safety in the back of their vehicle but once in the ambulance the male became aggressive, causing damage to the vehicle and assaulting the crew, punching one in the head. Police arrived on the scene shortly after and arrested the man.
In a separate incident earlier on Saturday night in Consett, a young man who was unconscious from a drug overdose was revived and brought back to life by a paramedic crew. He also became aggressive and headbutted the side of the vehicle before walking off.
The attacks followed incidents in Ashington in which a man brandished a knife after being treated by ambulance service staff on July 20, while three crews were attacked in separate attacks in Blyth, South Hetton, and South Shields the weekend of July 11.
Easington MP Grahame Morris MP said: “Another weekend of violence is adding to the weight of evidence showing that current legislation, and its application in the courts, is not protecting emergency workers.
“Ambulance crews, firefighters, and police officers should be allowed to go about their work without the threat of abuse and assault. An attack on an emergency worker is an attack on the whole community. We must stand shoulder to shoulder, condemn these attacks and hope that these cases are prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows.”
North West Durham MP Richard Holden said: “I am horrified that the level of violence has increased so rapidly in recent weeks and I know what an effect it is having on the emergency crews. I support the increases in the penalties for those who attack emergency workers – it’s vital that violent behaviour is clamped down on, and I back the police in using the full force of the law to protect those who protect us.”
North East Ambulance Service deputy chief executive Paul Liversidge said: “We can repair and replace our ambulances, but the physical and psychological harm caused to my crews is far more serious and has a longer-lasting impact.”
He added: “This is now seven assaults in 14 days of violence against my staff. And I make this promise to all the assailants who have been arrested – we will pursue you through the criminal courts to ensure justice is received, and I call upon the courts to sentence these thugs appropriately, not just as a punishment for their despicable behaviour, but also as a deterrent to others who think they can get away with this.
“It’s not just the number of attacks we have experienced over the last two weeks, but the ferocity and intensity of these assaults against us. Enough is enough.”