Campaign launced to tackle growing number of attacks on emergency service workers

From April 2018 to March 2019 East Midlands Ambulance Service staff reported 1,082 assaults including physical, verbal, sexual and racial abuse, an increase of 113 incidents on the previous year.

In the Lincolnshire Division alone, staff reported 168 assaults, with 25 assaults resulting on members of our ambulance crew being injured.

The Don’t Cross The Line campaign has been launched to highlight and try and tackle the growing number of attacks on ambulance service staff, police officers, firefighters, and others.

Sue Cousland, Lincolnshire General Manager at EMA joined colleagues from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS), Humberside Police and Humberside Fire and Rescue to lanch the campiagn.

She said: "We are very supportive of this campaign as it will help challenge some of the unfortunate and unacceptable behaviour faced by our crews on a daily basis.

“All of our frontline clinicians and staff who deal with the public either out on the road or in our control centre, chose a career with the ambulance service as they want to make a positive difference in their communities.

“It is a very sad reflection that our staff often encounter verbal and physical abuse when they are just trying to do their job.

“I am proud that the team, despite experiencing some of these challenges, continue to demonstrate a high level of resilience and professionalism and we need to ensure they are fully supported by campaigns such as this.”