Xinhua General News Service
NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia — Physical and verbal assaults on NSW paramedics have trebled, with 50 assaults on paramedics so far this year according to NSW Ambulance Service figures.
The number of assaults is up from 16 over the same period in 2012, with most of this year’s incidents involving offenders who were intoxicated or drug-affected, said NSW Ambulance chief executive Ray Creen.
Chief Superintendent Peter Pilon, NSW Ambulance Deputy Director, Operations for the North Coast, has called for a zero tolerance approach to any form of violence towards paramedics.
“It’s clearly disgusting anyone would ever assault a paramedic doing their job,” Pilon said. NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said any attack on a paramedic was a “disgraceful act”, and urged paramedics to report attacks.
The release of the figures follows a series of incidents in NSW that have angered the public and health officials alike. In February a Coffs Harbour paramedic faced a violent assault while treating a man en-route to hospital.
The attack was said to be so violent that the ambulance driver was forced to pull over and call for help. The offender is now facing charges. The penalty for anyone found to have committed an act of violence against a paramedic can include up to five years’ imprisonment.
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