Hundreds of addresses on ambulance violence list More than 200 postcode areas in Tayside and Fife on SAS database

Hundreds of addresses in Tayside and Fife have been flagged to the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) over violence and safety concerns, The Courier can reveal.

More than 200 postcode areas in Courier Country are currently listed in an SAS database to notify personnel of locations where violence could be an issue.

A further 51 postcodes in the region are highlighted for non-violence warnings which could affect crew safety, such as dangerous pets, abandoned buildings and sites that are by their nature hazardous and may require a specialist response, such as power stations and harbours.

Documents containing partially redacted postcodes of all the current addresses were handed to The Courier following requests made under freedom of information legislation.

Fifty-nine DD, 132 KY and 34 PH addresses were flagged for violence, making a total of 225.

Nationwide, a further 1,960 postcode areas are listed, meaning Courier Country accounts for just over 10% of the total.

For other scene safety concerns, 16 DD, 24 KY and 11 PH postcode areas are listed. That combined total of 51 accounts for 10.5% of Scotland’s 489 flagged addresses.

The database is constantly being updated, and addresses are added or removed based on current information or previous experiences of violence or threats of violence.

Contrary to other reports, there are no postcodes which specifically require a police response before ambulance crews attend.

A request for support from the police is only made after being assessed by the control room staff, and a decision is normally made in conjunction with the crew attending over whether to call for police to attend in advance.

An SAS spokesperson said: “The safety of ambulance staff is paramount, which is why the service takes appropriate measures to protect them.

“As one of a number of protective measures, individual addresses where there have been previous incidents of violence or threatening behaviour towards staff are flagged in control rooms.

“This means that if a 999 call comes in from a flagged address dispatchers can identify that staff may be at risk and request additional support, if required.

“Every year, ambulance crews report incidents of physical assault, ranging from pushing and punching to spitting and attack with a variety of weapons.

“They deserve more respect for their dedication to patient care, often provided in the most challenging of situations. In most of these incidents alcohol is a key factor in the aggressive behaviour of patients.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Attacks against our NHS staff are despicable and the perpetrators must be dealt with in the strongest possible terms.”