Protecting frontline responders

Paramedics in Peril

Assault on London Ambulance Service (LAS) crews rose an alarming 23% in the three years to 2013. {1} There were 582 reported incidents in 2013, with 749 instances of abuse recorded. Currently the NHS pursues prosecution and punishment as the main deterrent for crimes against LAS staff, however this is a costly and often drawn-out process. Prosecutions are increasing, but so are assaults. On average four frontline responders are abused or assaulted in London every day.

On the 15th September the Evening Standard reported that almost 200 paramedics, tube, bus and cab drivers working in London are attacked by members of the public every week.

In spite of the threat of prosecution, numbers are on the rise and this has prompted calls for new thinking on ways to protect frontline workers from attack. This was spearheaded with a report by GLA Conservatives crime spokesman Roger Evans Paramedics in Peril, that is calling on the LAS to pilot 100 body cameras to protect crews. Evans claims the scheme would cost less than the £125k sick bill caused by violence.

“Body worn CCTV cameras would act as visible deterrents for criminals who think it’s acceptable to abuse our frontline emergency crews. Furthermore, video evidence would make it easier to report crimes, avoid disputes and shorten trials.”

The report lays out three main areas of cost to the LAS;

Ambulance personnel physical wellbeing; Severe and life-changing assault is on the rise in spite of the threat of harsh penalties.
The mental toll on staff; Studies have shown that 34% of ambulance drivers in the UK have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, attributable in part to abuse and the threat of attacks.
A direct staffing toll to the LAS; The Freedom of information request revealed that an estimated 633 working days are lost a year as a direct result of assaults.

These equate to a conservative estimate of £125,700 cost per annum that is probably considerably higher as does not factor in for post-incident therapy, other cumulative effects of injury nor the substantial cost of taking assailants to court.

A pilot of 100 cameras would cost substantially less than half that figure to roll out. By reducing the collateral costs of assaults on staff, the scheme could quickly pay for itself.

The PR5 Body Camera Solution

At Pinnacle we work with many frontline personnel across a range of sectors. The protection and benefits afforded by the use of body cameras in potentially volatile situations greatly outweigh concerns about their use. There are many reasons why we feel our PR5 body camera is the perfect solution for ambulance crews and other frontline workers;

As opposed to fixed CCTV surveillance, a body camera records audio, offering a highly accurate account of an incident.
Similarly, many incidents take place outside the ambulance or in homes. The body camera goes where you go.
Although there are concerns about infringing on the very particular relationship that exists in the main between paramedics and the public, the camera is not obtrusive. In fact the PR5 is very obviously a closed and dormant unit unless the user choses to begin recording.
Paramedics have no reason to activate recording unless a situation begins to dissemble. A clear verbal instruction is all that is required to alert the subject that they are being recorded. Trials indicate that this in itself can have a modifying effect on behaviour.
When an assault whether threatened or actual is recorded, the incontrovertible evidence frequently hastens a guilty plea prior to prosecution, speeds up judicial processes and brings costs down.
As well as protecting paramedics on the frontline, reporting time is reduced when substantive video evidence is submitted.

Police, civil enforcement agencies, lone workers and frontline personnel in various trials have all attested to the extra protection afforded by body worn video technology and the impact it can have on an escalating incident. The comprehensive trial by Hampshire police on the Isle of Wight recently concluded overwhelming public support for use of the cameras and it's hoped that ambulance services across the UK and Ireland will soon be given the opportunity to trial also.

{1} London Ambulance Service, Freedom of Information request data - March 2014