Big rise in attacks on West Midlands ambulance staff

Workers reported a total of 760 physical and verbal assaults between April 2015 and the end of March this year.

Ambulance chiefs say they are 'extremely disappointed' that crews are being attacked 'at the hands of people they are trying to help'.

The figures show an increase of 23 per cent on the previous year when 617 incidents were logged.

During the 12 months, 49 people have been prosecuted for their actions while a further 40 have been sent warning letters over their behaviour.

Out of those written to, three people replied offering verbal apologies saying it was not their normal behaviour and one person submitted a complaint.

The rise in attacks comes as the ambulance service has taken action to catch perpetrators, including the installation of CCTV cameras on front-line vehicles.

Most areas covered by the ambulance service, including the Black Country, saw a rise but there was a slight decrease in Staffordshire.

The ambulance service's head of security and safety Steve Elliker said: "It is extremely disappointing that any of our staff suffer at the hands of people they are trying to help.

"The trust has a zero-tolerance policy in place and works extremely hard to bring the full weight of the law to bear on anyone who attacks our staff.

"It is simply not acceptable that staff who are there to help people, suffer at the hands of patients, their relatives or other people at the scene."

Front-line staff are provided with 'conflict resolution training' to help them defuse potentially violent situations. Of the total number of incidents reported during the 2015/16 year, 294 were physical and 466 were verbal.

While in 2014/15 there were 231 physical and 386 verbal attacks. In October, a crew had eggs thrown at them as four yobs attempted to get in to the cab in Birmingham.

Bosses said at the time that incidents like this can be terrifying for the staff involved and can result in serious injuries, as well as tying up vital emergency resources.

The ambulance service is not the only emergency service to speak out against violence towards staff.

Figures released in January showed obs have attacked firefighters in the West Midlands almost 300 times in the past four years.

Crews in the region have been pelted with missiles, bombarded with abuse and even threatened with weapons.

They have also faced attacks with laser pens, physical violence and been obstructed by people while carrying out their duties.