BRIERLEY HILL, England — The West Midlands Ambulance staff has been attacked 600 times during the past three years, and the number seems to be on the rise.
During the year 2012/13, 175 EMS providers, who cover 5,000 square miles, were physically assaulted on the job. The next fiscal year, 207 were attacked. During the year 2014/2015 231 providers were assaulted, the Express and Star reported.
Only in the past two weeks, a paramedic responding to a call had fireworks thrown at his vehicle, and another ambulance crew had eggs thrown at them.
While many of the cases are related to mental health or injury, the majority are linked to the use of alcohol or drugs.
The attacks range from being spat on, scratched, punched and kicked, to numerous accounts of sexual assault and having things thrown at them, including shoes, medical equipment and a house brick.
“It is completely unacceptable that ambulance staff, who are responding to help people in their hour of need, should have to face violence, verbal or sexual abuse,” said Steve Elliker, the trust’s regional head of security and safety. “Whilst attacks on ambulance staff are relatively rare, numbers are increasing and even one attack is one too many.”
In August, a man avoided a jail sentence after sexually assaulting a female paramedic who was trying to treat him. The judge considered it better if the man was given a community order with treatment for alcoholism.