Emily Jackson, a paramedic of eight years, often questions whether it’s worth staying in the position due to the harrowing death threats and vile abuse she suffers
A young female paramedic often considers leaving the profession — because of a rise in death threats.
Emily Jackson, 31, says these chilling encounters happen more frequently during the Christmas period and has urged Brits to “be nice” to all emergency service employees.
During one incident in the lead-up to Christmas, a thug punched Emily in the face before looking her in the eyes and threatening to rape and kill her. The incident left her shocked and caused her to suffer a breakdown a few days later.
Emily, who has been a paramedic for eight years, said: “Most of us are in the job because we genuinely want to help people. It’s a really rewarding job most of the time, but being disrespected in a professional capacity when we are trying to help adds another level.
“A lot of people are out celebrating (at Christmas). They go out, have drinks and drugs, and that increases the risk of us coming into contact with abuse. It’s meant to be a festive, happy time of year, but it isn’t always for us. Most patients are really nice, but there’s the odd person that goes the other way.”
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A recent staff survey from the London Ambulance Service (LAS) found that 44 per cent of workers had been sexually harassed by patients or members of the public. Another 53 per cent admitted having been violently attacked while on duty. Drugs and alcohol also play a part in around 40 per cent of violent incidents.
The service campaign – All we want for Christmas is… RESPECT – calls on the public to show respect to those caring for them on the road and in our 999 and 111 control rooms. This is echoed by Emily, who suffered a breakdown after she suffered a death threat by a male patient she’d been called to help in February 2024.
Video footage of the incident shows Emily retreating with an iPad the patient has just broken as he shouts at her: ‘I will kill you!’.
Emily said: “He tried to kick and punch me, shouted that he was going to kill us both and smashed my iPad on the floor. [This kind of abuse] is not a daily occurrence, but it has happened more than once, and I think that’s the same with most of my colleagues.
In another incident just weeks earlier in December, Emily and her team were called to a pub in Uxbridge, West London, to assist a man who was reportedly unconscious through drink and drugs.
Emily compared the incident that unfolded there to a “horror film”. Though the man was calm at first, once he regained consciousness, he punched Emily in the face, before returning later and threatening to rape and kill her.
“At first he was quite calm, but after a few more minutes he became really angry and agitated,” Emily continued.
“He was making threats of a sexual nature towards me and started getting physically aggressive towards people who were trying to help.
“I got struck below my right eye, and once he’d calmed down, he looked me in the eye and said, ‘I could rape you and dump your body in an alleyway’. I just felt my stomach drop and a chill go down my spine. I started crying but didn’t want him to see me, so I turned my back to him.”
Emily and her colleagues suggest more consistent sentencing of defendants who abuse emergency services workers as a deterrence, as these attackers often receive less harsh punishments than those who attack members of the public.
“A lot of people get suspended sentences. I think [attacks on emergency workers] can be shrugged off. I think it can be seen as part of the job, but obviously it’s not and shouldn’t be seen that way, Emily said.
