'Sickening': Attacks on 999 staff soaring as chiefs unite in call to 'stop the abuse'

Home Office figures show assaults on West Midlands Police constables and other emergency workers more than doubled in a year.

The police force recorded 2,677 assaults on emergency workers in the year to March, compared to 1,086 in the previous 12 months.

Within the last few months alone, a police officer was seriously assaulted outside Molineux before England's Nations League game against Hungary, when he was hit in the side of the head and knocked unconscious.

Another police officer suffered a fractured ankle after being assaulted by a patient at Sandwell Hospital.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, said the number of assaults on the region's police officers is averaging more than 200 a month and called it "totally unacceptable".

He said: “Officers go above and beyond to prevent crime, protect people and help the vulnerable. They should not have to put up with this.

“The overwhelming majority of the public greatly value the work that officers and staff do.

"The investment in more than 3,000 body-worn video cameras for officers is helping to ensure that offenders are brought to justice wherever possible."

A spokesman for West Midlands Police added: "We know that simply due to the nature of policing we find ourselves in dangerous situations and put ourselves in harm's way to protect those who need our support.

"Our officers and staff have the best protection through regular training, personal protective equipment and body-worn video technology.

"Being attacked or abused can have a lasting effect on mental health and there is a wealth of physical and wellbeing support available to ensure colleagues are cared for and fully recovered before returning to duties."

Staffordshire Police saw a rise in assaults on staff too, although to a lesser extent.

Meanwhile, West Midlands Ambulance Service disclosed that it has also seen a year-on-year increase in both physical and verbal assaults on its workers.

In 2021/22, 608 staff were the victims of a physical assault, while there were also 1,186 incidents of verbal abuse.

It compared to 432 physical and 634 verbal assaults in 2018/19.

The service said it was "never appropriate" for staff to be abused, verbally or physically, and crews have the right to work without fear of violence or intimidation while trying to help patients.

A WMAS spokesman said: “Sadly, as the figures demonstrate, the number of physical and verbal attacks on our staff continue to rise each year.

"Last year, 608 members of our staff were the victims of a physical assault, whilst there were also 1,186 incidents of verbal abuse. These are sickening figures and as a result we have CCTV fitted on all of our ambulances.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy towards people who abuse our staff, and work hard, alongside police colleagues, to push for the toughest sentences possible.

“It is clear that the public are outraged every time something like this happens and we hope that each time someone is convicted of assaulting an emergency service worker, that it acts as a deterrent to others who might think about attacking our staff.”

West Midlands Fire Service has revealed that there have been 38 cases involving staff being attacked in the last five months.

A spokesman added: "Any emergency service worker being attacked as they go about their work is clearly wrong and won’t be tolerated.

"We and our fire authority will work closely with the police where appropriate to ensure that culprits are prosecuted. In serious cases a jail sentence can be given.

"We often meet people when emotions are running high - perhaps it’s a neighbour dispute over a bonfire, or people involved in a traffic collision.

"We are fortunate as a service that incidents are fairly low in number when you consider the thousands of incidents we attend each year.

"We've had 38 cases of our staff being attacked since April 1. Most incidents were verbal, but some were physical. Verbal abuse can still be intimidating for our staff, who are simply trying to do their job and safely resolve an emergency."

The fire service said trainee firefighters have an awareness session about the issue and there is an online course for staff on managing difficult situations.

The spokesman added: "We’ll support our staff in every way we can if ever they’re unfortunate enough to be attacked and it goes to court. We can also provide support if they’re injured or need emotional help,"

Since the Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill came into law in 2018, the maximum prison sentence for common assault on an emergency worker has been 12 months.

The offence applies to attacks on 'blue light' workers such as the police, paramedics and firefighters, along with many others, including prison officers and NHS workers.

The Police Federation also said the rise in assaults on emergency workers is appalling and must not be tolerated or seen as just part of the job.

Steve Hartshorn, national chairman of the organisation, added: “Crime levels rose once Covid restrictions were lifted and a split-second act of violence, whether an injury is sustained or not, often leaves devastating and long-term effects on police officers.

"The physical and mental scars of these assaults can last a lifetime and are unacceptable.

“Assaults on emergency workers are a stain on society and many of these assaults which are recorded without an injury would have been vile spitting and coughing attacks."

PTSD 999, a support organisation for all emergency services, said stronger sentencing for offenders would protect both the public and those facing assaults.

Gary Hayes, co-founder of the group, said: "Assaults on emergency service workers can be traumatising but not necessarily at the time of the event, the effects on the individual may present itself days, weeks, months or years later.

"There is no time scale as to how and when someone may start to struggle with an assault."

A Government spokesperson said: “Assaults on members of our emergency services are unacceptable, which is why this government has doubled the maximum penalty for assaulting an emergency worker."

Attacks should never be ‘a part of the job’

Emergency services in Staffordshire will support staff who are assaulted where necessary but violence will not be tolerated, bosses say.

Home Office figures show Staffordshire Police recorded 575 assaults on emergency workers in the year to March.

Most of the alleged victims were police constables – there were 307 assaults without injury on PCs last year and 169 with injury, while there were 99 on other emergency workers.

The total number recorded last year was up from 475 in 2020-21, when assaults on emergency workers who are not police constables were recorded for the first time.

Assistant Chief Constable at Staffordshire Police, Justin Bibby said: “Assaults should never be seen as part of the job and police officers, and other emergency service employees, should be able to go about their work without fear of abuse or attack.

"However, sadly that is not always the reality and there can be long-term effects on the individual that may not always be apparent and are not always physical.

“We take our duty of care to all employees very seriously and the force has been proactive in how it responds to mental health issues including investing heavily in occupational health and bringing specialist training in house, especially for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service also said violence against its staff would not be tolerated and any workers affected can access further support if needed.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Glynn Luznyj said: “Any emergency service worker being attacked as they go about their work is clearly wrong and won’t be tolerated.

“We will work closely with the police to bring offenders to justice.

"All of our appliances have CCTV fitted which will be used to provide evidence where necessary.

“We put health and wellbeing at the centre of everything we do. As part of our wellbeing strategy, we provide a number of ways in which our people can access further support should they need it.”