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Paramedic union for stab vests

10/11/2007

A union for paramedics has called for more members to be given stab vests to protect them against attacks from patients.

The Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel (Apap) said the move was necessary to ensure the safety of ambulance workers who had been assaulted by the people they were tending to.

Last year, ambulance staff in Essex were given the special protection equipment which is designed to be low-profile and to protect from gun shots, knives and pricks from sharp objects.

Currently medical crews in London, Essex and Dorset receive the proposed protection and APAP believes ten other crews should also be on the scheme.

A spokesman for the ambulance workers' body, Jonathan Fox, told the BBC: "Although the majority of public we serve are fine, there is a disproportionate minority of people that we attend who can turn violent and it's this risk we are trying to address by reviewing this initiative."