47 attacks on paramedics last year - but no prosecutions

Nearly 50 attacks took place on paramedics last year but there wasn't a single prosecution.

New figures from the National Ambulance Service show that staff were repeatedly exposed to violence, harassment and aggression, with the majority of assaults carried out by patients.

Under the current law anyone who attacks a paramedic faces a fine of up to 5,000 and five years in prison.

The National Ambulance Service Representative Association (NASRA), the group representing ambulance workers, said the lack of prosecutions encouraged assaults.

The National Ambulance Service said it does not operate a “no prosecution policy”

Figures released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act show there were 47 recorded incidents of “violence, harrassment and aggression” towards paramedics in 2016.