Shropshire ambulance staff suffer most attacks

Steve Parry, spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said staff had been physically attacked, verbally abused or threatened while they tried to carry out their work.

He said there had been more than 200 cases of abuse reported last year across the West Midlands region, and although an official breakdown has not been made Mr Parry said a large number of cases had been reported in the Shropshire area.

• See also: Call for tougher sentences on those who assault paramedics

It comes a technician working in the Telford area lifted the lid on her experiences of abuse as part of WMAS's week-long Under Attack awareness campaign.

Jacs Murphy, who is based at Donnington, said she had been inappropriately touched, lashed out at and threatened with rape by members of the public, who she said were often under the influence of alcohol.

New figures have revealed that there have been eight physical and 38 verbal threatening cases against ambulance staff across the region so far this year.

There were 30 physical and 52 threatening incidents last year, and 21 physical and 68 threatening cases from 2012 to 2013.

Ambulance bosses and trade union leaders in the West Midlands are united in calling for tougher sentences for those people who attack and abuse ambulance staff.

Ms Murphy said: "Lots of times it's drink related.

"Getting touched up, sexually touched up, getting patients lashing out at you, constantly abusing you.

"Some telling you that they are going to rape you, they are going to find out where you live and are coming to get you."

Mr Parry said: "The number of ambulance workers being attacked, verbally abused or threatened while doing their job continues to be a 'real concern' with over 200 cases reported last year.

"The latest figures released by West Midlands Ambulance Service show a depressing trend of violence and aggression against its staff.

"The on-going situation has sparked a call for tougher sentencing by chief executive Anthony Marsh and Unison's regional organiser Ray Salmon.

"The situation has also prompted a week of campaigning by the 999 service aimed at highlighting the issues faced by its staff."

Steve Elliker, WMAS security manager, said: "I get frustrated sometimes if I'm being honest with the outcome of a criminal prosecution because there's always mitigation.

"Some of that mitigation may be something totally out of character - they had to drink, they took some drugs.

"I have a very simplistic view - they had a choice, they decided to drink.

"Our members of staff who attended to them never had a choice – they had to go because they had called 999.

"That's what angers me more than anything else that we can't always get the successful prosecution that we always want."