Ambulance service staff attacked in 'appalling' incident

Emergency service staff were allegedly assaulted at a property in Ayr on Tuesday night.

Five Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) staff faced “very challenging behaviour” and needed assistance from the police during the incident.

Officers were called to Wellington Square in Ayr at around 10.55pm.

A 27-year-old man was arrested and charged in relation to the attack. There were no serious injuries but Ayrshire’s police chief said assaults on emergency workers were on the rise.

Chief superintendent Faroque Hussain said it was “utterly unacceptable”.

“Thankfully nobody has sustained serious injuries as a result of this incident but I would like to emphasise violence or any form of abusive behaviour is not part of our emergency service’s job and it will not be tolerated,” he said.

“Our police officers and partners work tirelessly to keep our communities safe and any incidents of this nature will be dealt with robustly.”

John Burnham, SAS’s head of service in Ayrshire and Arran said: “Ambulance personnel do an amazing job in often difficult and challenging circumstances.

“They do it because they care. Appalled to find that five of my team had been subject to very challenging behaviour last night (Tuesday).”

A SAS spokesperson said: “Our dedicated staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and any abuse against them is unacceptable. Incidents like this will rightly be reported to the police.”

The man charged in connection with the incident is due to appear at Ayr Sheriff Court on Thursday.