THE Queensland government needs to reassess pub trading hours to prevent attacks on ambulance officers, their union says.
UNITED Voice says the government must do more to stop the rise in attacks on ambulance officers by patients who are drunk or high on drugs.
The union says there were 207 reported attacks on ambulance service workers in the year to June, including 160 deliberate physical assaults. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen the number of assaults increase every year,” union delegate and ambulance officer Peter Griffey said in a statement on Tuesday. “These stats only look at reported cases and we know there are a lot more unreported incidents.” Mr Griffey welcomed a recent announcement of tougher penalties for those who assault health workers, including paramedics, but he said that wasn’t enough. “The government needs to re-assess licensing hours and tackle the problem at its source,” he said. “We shouldn’t have to worry about our own safety when we are trying to look out for and help members of the public.”