Ian has this week led calls for tougher sentences to those found guilty of assaulting emergency service workers.

This comes after it was revealed that over the last 3 years the North East Ambulance Service alone has reported 171 incidents of assaults on it’s staff. Shockingly, non of these cases led to the guilty party spending time in jail.

Mr Lavery has voiced his concern over these figures, and suggested that those found guilty of assaulting emergency workers should be given tougher sentences. He notes:

“I have spent time with the North East Ambulance Service on numerous occasions. These people do an amazing job caring for the public and saving lives.

People who attack emergency workers are the root of evil in our society. These workers do not deserve this and more needs to be done to protect them.

They need to face the justice they deserve. A total of 40 convictions and none being sent to prison is shocking. We need to get to grips with this and protect our emergency workers.”

These calls for tougher sentencing come after student paramedic Andrew Raisbeck and clinical care assistant Chris Bradley were physically assaulted and had their ambulance vandalised while treating a patient in Blyth. While the attacked pleaded guilty to four charges of assault of an emergency worker, common assault, criminal damage and obstructing or resisting a police officer in execution of their duty, they were not given any jail time by the judge.

Following this, Ian met with members of the North East Ambulance Service on the 13th August to discuss this and other important issues facing them, and offer them his full support going forward.