TWO south west ambulance crew members have spoken out after being threatened with a knife in earlier this year.

Paramedic Tom and emergency care assistant Catherine, both of South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT), were threated when they responded to a concern for welfare incident in January.

They attempted to reach the patient who responded by threatening to stab them unless they left her. They retreated to their ambulance and requested police attendance.

The woman was then at her window gesturing a kitchen knife towards them, and then put it in a bag and put her coat on.

Tom and Catherine pressed their panic button for an urgent police response, due to concern for the safety of the patient, the public and themselves. 

The woman came outside with the bag apparently containing the knife and threatened to stab them again if they came near her. She walked away from them, and then police arrived at the scene. 

Catherine and Tom said: “This was a very distressing incident that left us feeling very vulnerable.

“We come to work to help people, not to be threatened with a knife. These kinds of incidents have an impact not just on victims, but also on their families and colleagues. Frontline workers should be able to their jobs without fear of attack.”

The woman was convicted at Bournemouth Crown Court on April 9 of assaulting an emergency worker - relating to a police officer - criminal damage, and possession of a knife. She was sentenced to an 18-month community order with an 18-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Two counts of assaulting emergency workers, relating to the ambulance crew, were discontinued by the CPS.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “Assaults against those who protect the public in emergency situations are unacceptable.

“A person can be guilty where they intentionally or recklessly cause another person to expect immediate, unlawful violence will be used against them.  

“In this case, the charges were discontinued because we could not prove the defendant intended the ambulance crew to believe imminent unlawful force would be used and therefore the evidential test was not met.

“The CPS takes assaults of emergency workers very seriously, and we will always seek to prosecute perpetrators when the evidential test has been met.”

SWASFT staff reported 1,840 incidents of violence and aggression from patients and other members of the public between May 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021.

The figures included 554 verbal abuse incidents, 464 aggressive behaviour incidents, and 328 physical assaults. 

They represent a 34 per cent increase compared to 1,370 incidents reported during the previous 12 months.