A NUMBER of sentences to people in Eastbourne, Bexhill and St. Leonards for assaulting emergency workers have been welcomed by Ambulance staff.
A 24-year-old Bexhill man has been handed a six-month prison sentence for punching an Ambulance worker. SECAmb has supported the sentence which was given to the man who assaulted a paramedic by punching them in their upper left arm.
In August, a 56-year-old man from St Leonards was given a community order for sexual assault on a crew member. He was also ordered to pay £114 victim surcharge, £85 CPS costs and £200 compensation.
A man from Eastbourne has also been given a community order for assaulting two emergency workers and using threatening, abusive, or insulting words to cause harassment, alarm or distress. The 59-year-old was also ordered to pay £114 victim surcharge, £85 CPS costs and £150 compensation.
A rehabilitation and community order was also given to a 48-year-old Canterbury man who spat on an emergency care support worker and a police officer.
Dave Monk, SECAmb security manager, said: “My colleagues come to work to serve their communities and help people. It is never acceptable that they face violence and abuse just for going about their job, and we welcome these recent sentences.
“We are committed to ensuring that those who engage in abusive or violent behaviour towards our staff are held accountable and prosecuted for their actions and we urge people to report any incident so we can ensure appropriate action is taken forward wherever possible.”
In 2022, SECAmb joined ambulance trusts across the country in supporting the launch of a national campaign which aims to address the growing aggression and violence aimed at ambulance staff.
The Work Without Fear campaign was instigated because of a growing number of ambulance staff reporting being abused or attacked. Nationally, nearly 12,000 staff – an increase of 35 per cent in the last five years – were targeted, but the most significant rise happened during first year of the Covid-19 pandemic when assaults jumped by 23 per cent compared with the year before.
Locally, SECAmb has also seen an increase in reported violence and aggression, with aggravating factors reported, such as alcohol and drugs and mental health.
