Borehamwood’s paramedics will not attend some emergencies without a police escort due to fear of being attacked, the Borehamwood & Elstree Times can reveal.

Paramedics admitted this week that due to an increase in physical and verbal attacks against them, they will wait for police to check an area is safe before attending what could be a life-or-death situation.

Bruce Morris, a paramedic and area manager at Borehamwood ambulance station, has been a victim of numerous violent attacks in the town over the years.

“I’ve had a gun held to my head and two knives held to my chest,” he said.

“It’s just a change in culture. A lot of it is to do with drink and drugs and society in general. Some people have no respect for any forms of authority.

“We have bottles thrown at us on a constant basis too.

“If there was a life-or-death situation and we knew the address was dangerous, whether we would attend the emergency would depend on the exact history of that particular place. Every situation is different.” When a paramedic is either verbally or physically assaulted, a warning is logged on their computer system and noted as a dangerous address.

If a 999 call is made from an address that has been logged as dangerous, the paramedics must wait for police to check the area is safe before being given the go-ahead to enter premises, which could waste vital minutes.

Lawrence Sparks, a paramedic based at Borehamwood ambulance station in Elstree Way, said even if someone was dying, paramedics need to ensure their own safety first.

“The circumstances would dictate what we did,” he said.

“If someone was dying of a heart attack and we knew the area wasn’t safe, it would be a hard one to call. We have to look after ourselves first. That is the general ruling.”

Acting Chief Inspector of Hertfordshire Constabulary, Steve Amoss, said: “The Ambulance Service has its own system of assessing the risk of attending particular sites. It doesn’t happen very often, but from time to time, we support them by attending at their request and facilitating them doing their essential work.”

Gary Sanderson, acting communications manager for Beds and Herts Ambulance Service said: “First and foremost, safety is paramount to our staff who are responding to any type of calls in the community.

“If there is an element of violence or danger while the call handler is taking the call, the police are automatically called and our crews are advised while en route to the incident, if there are weapons involved we would also send a senior officer to assist the crew.

“Our responding crews will be told to approach with caution to a rendezvous point and await police arrival; when the premises is made safe by the police the crew can proceed.”

If someone who needs assistance lives at an address of a previous attack, or close by, the ambulance could be held up until police arrive — even if the sick or injured person has no link to the attacks.