The “sickening” level of violence against ambulance crews in London is revealed today in figures obtained by the Evening Standard.
Medics were attacked more than 2,000 times in the past five years — an average of at least one incident a day.
This includes paramedics and doctors being bitten, kicked, hit with weapons and even sexually assaulted while responding to 999 calls.
Sources said the true number of attacks could be as high as 3,500 because only about 60 per cent of physical assaults are reported by staff, many of whom feel it is “part of the job”.
According to figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws, London Ambulance Service staff have been assaulted 2,089 times since 2015.
About one in 20 of the attacks resulted in a successful criminal prosecution, with 133 people convicted during that period.
In February, paramedic Thomas Martin, 29, was trying to restrain a patient in Tottenham who was high on drugs and had been violent to a woman when the man punched him and spat in his face.
Two weeks later in Walthamstow, he was attacked by an uninsured driver involved in a crash who became agitated when police found drugs in the car.
Mr Martin said: “He became so aggressive that he punched me in the face and kicked me in the chest. I had to hold his hand across his chest [to restrain him]. When I did that he bit me on the arm, causing me to bleed.”
Garrett Emmerson, London Ambulance Service chief executive, said abuse against staff was “unacceptable” and that staff were always encouraged to report assaults.
He said: “While the vast majority of patients and callers treat our staff with the utmost respect, sadly a small minority do not.
“However, even one instance of physical and verbal abuse is one too many. We work closely with the police and prosecuting authorities to push for the strongest action to be taken against the perpetrators."
