Ambulance staff to wear body cameras as 40pc of paramedics attacked

West Midlands Ambulance Service is set to receive the cameras in certain areas as part of a trial scheme by next year.

Anthony Marsh, chief executive officer of the service, said he thought the cameras were vital in securing convictions against offenders.

He told a meeting of the trust board in Brierley Hill on Tuesday, that he felt they may not stop attacks but would result in better outcomes at court.

He said: “If someone is hell-bent on attacking a member of our staff they may not be put off by a body-worn camera.

“However, from what I understand, when these people are brought to court the footage can help a judge, a jury or magistrates really see what has gone on from the perspective of our staff.

“They can help secure a conviction and have proven very valuable at times elsewhere.

“They will be rolled out before long in certain areas on a trial basis and we are looking forward to trying them.

“It gives you a very different feel to the incidents and what has happened.”

It was revealed last year that between April and October 2018, there had been 171 attacks on staff at WMAS.

The same government study reported that two out of five paramedics in the West Midlands said they had been attacked while on the job.

Service spokesman Murray MacGregor said at the time: “The trust works hard to encourage staff to report violence because it is not acceptable.

“The chief executive has been clear that he will push for prosecution against anyone who attacks staff who are doing their best to help the public.”

Mr Marsh also told the board that the trust had made a good financial start to the year.

He said: “We are very pleased overall and it has been a strong financial start to the year.

“Some areas are better than others, but there is nothing to be concerned about.

“We are performing very well.”

Video reveals risks first-hand

Paramedics regularly place themselves in difficult and potentially dangerous situations.

And body-cams can provide dramatic video evidence of life on the front line.

That was startlingly illustrated by the BBC documentary Ambulance, which followed West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedics as they completed their shift.

Body-cam footage was used to experience life from the viewpoint of staff.

One of the most memorable call-outs was to a multiple stabbing outside Shrewsbury’s Buttermarket Nightclub, in which several injured people were given treatment in a number of ambulances.

In other episodes staff have to deal with drunks in town centres across the Black Country, including one occasion in which an ambulance was attacked while the paramedics were inside.

And the documentary also showed the more rewarding parts of the job, with paramedics Natalie Greaves and Natalie Calow helping deliver a baby boy in Stourbridge even though the expectant mother was considered high risk.

For Ms Greaves it was particularly poignant. She told the programme that she suffered complications during the birth of her daughter.