Thursday 29th November 2018 – 12.55pm – Murray MacGregor.
Officers from West Midlands Police have arrested a man after he assaulted one of our crews as they tried to treat him.
The incident happened in Handsworth after a 999 call at just before 7am this morning (Thursday).
The crew was chased into their ambulance, where the perpetrator subsequently smashed one of the windows.
The Force Response Unit from West Midlands Police tweeted to say that one of their officers was assaulted during the arrest, but the perpetrator is now in custody.
WMAS Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said: “Although physically unhurt, this must have been a terrifying ordeal for our staff. We will provide support for them going forwards, but this is something that simply should not happen.
“No one deserves to be assaulted, but our staff are there to help people in their hour of need; they are there to protect and save the lives of the public.”
Staffside Chair, Stuart Gardner added: “We will work with the Trust to push for charges to be brought against this individual and should he be convicted, we hope that the courts will use the full powers now in place through the new Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 to hand down a punishment that will not leave ambulance staff feeling let down.
“The public have made their feelings known about such cases and we hope the courts will take that on board.”
Ends
That surely merits a custodial sentence but the circumstances of the original 999 call need looking at
Hi there…unfortunately, what people tell us over the phone and what the situation actually is can be quite different.
We can but hope that the Courts treats the case in the way that it surely deserves.
Nothing will be done because the assailant will plead to have mental health issues.
Omg it gets worse sentencing needs to match the crime .