999 boss hits out at knife threat

Reporter: Beatriz Ayala

A SENIOR ambulance official has hit out after emergency crews received knife threats

Delwyn Wray, North-West Ambulance Service area director, said: “This was an unacceptable act of violence on defenceless ambulance workers carrying out a valuable service.”

Police were called to an address in Vale Drive, Coldhurst, last Tuesday following reports that an ambulance crew were being threatened.

Officers arrived at the scene to discover that the ambulance crew — a 43-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman — had locked themselves in a downstairs room and were being threatened after responding to an emergency call at the address.

Mr Wray said: “Our ambulance staff save lives on a daily basis and it is saddening that some individuals are subjecting them to violence and abuse.

“This not only places the crews at risk, but also prevents them from doing their jobs.

“Patients’ lives can also be put at risk.”

Last year in the Greater Manchester area alone there were 364 reports of verbal and physical assaults on ambulance staff. Many incidents are still not being reported.

Mr Wray said: “There is an unacceptable level of violence and abuse directed towards staff that we simply will not tolerate and we want to send out a very clear message to anyone who assaults our crews, either verbally or physically, that they face the very real possibility of prosecution.

“On this occasion the crew had a very lucky escape and were not harmed but were left shaken and upset by the incident.

“The police acted swiftly to make an arrest and we will co-operate fully with them in their investigations.”

A 44-year-old man has been charged with false imprisonment, threats to kill and affray.

He will appear before Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, on Thursday.


http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news/14893/999-boss-hits-out-at-knife-threat