Kent area where emergency workers are most likely to be attacked in UK

An average of 62 ambulance workers reported some form of violence or abuse every day in the UK last year

Record numbers of emergency workers were assaulted while saving lives last year – and 999 workers are more likely to be attacked in one part of Kent than anywhere else in England and Wales.

Last year, more than 22,500 ambulance workers reported incidents including kicking, punching, slapping, head-butting, spitting, verbal abuse and sexual assault, as well as violent attacks involving a multitude of weapons.

That’s an average of 62 ambulance workers reporting some form of violence or abuse every day, or almost three an hour – with many frontline emergency workers forced out of their roles due to injury and trauma.

Separate figures show there were 933 similar attacks on firefighters in England last year, causing 129 injuries, while a survey of 766,000 NHS workers found one in seven (14%) had reported being physically attacked.

In the year ending September 2025, police forces in England and Wales recorded 4,377 assaults, the highest on record since attacking an emergency worker who was not a member of the police became a separate offence in November 2018.

That includes a record 167 assaults in Kent, 10 more than the previous year. Since this data began appearing in police recorded crime figures from 2020, there have now been 700 assaults on 999 workers logged by Kent Police officers.

According to crime rates, Swale is the most dangerous place in England and Wales to respond to a 999 emergency.

Since records began, there have been 264 assaults on emergency workers recorded, including 61 in the last year alone. That’s a crime rate of 17.1 assaults per 10,000 residents in Swale, the highest in the country.

It means emergency workers are almost three times as likely to be assaulted in Swale as they are in Medway, the area of Kent with the next highest rate for this type of crime (6.3 assaults per 10,000 residents).

Crime rates, calculated by multiplying the number of crimes by the population, are generally considered the fairest way to compare areas of different sizes.

You can see how it compares where you live using our interactive map.

Since the law change in 2018, anyone who physically attacks an ambulance worker, firefighter or any other emergency worker while they are trying to help people faces a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison.

But in the face of rising assaults, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) has called on the law to go further.

AACE managing director Anna Parry: “This appalling trend is worsening, with low conviction rates and lenient sentences clearly failing to deter offenders. That is why, nationally, we have been doing our best to actively engage health ministers from all four UK nations to explore policy, prevention, and response measures that can better protect our workforce.

“Every day, on average, more than 60 ambulance colleagues are attacked – including physical violence, sexual assault and abuse – and they are just the cases that are reported; many go unreported so the actual figure is even higher.

“Frontline teams and call handlers are deeply impacted, and many even leave their roles due to trauma or illness. Despite service-wide initiatives, incidents continue to rise, and the consequences are unsustainable.”

The AACE says its data shows “tougher sentences alone aren’t enough” and sees “promise” in restorative justice and diversionary measures to educate first-time offenders and reduce reoffending.

It also supports a minimum mandatory sentence for assaults on emergency workers, “sending a clear, uncompromising message to those who attack our staff.”

UNISON national ambulance officer Sharan Bandesha described attacks on paramedics and NHS staff as “inexcusable”.

She added: “Assaults against emergency workers lead to physical and psychological harm. That can mean months of recovery, taking them away from doing the jobs they love.

“More must be done to address the alarming number of incidents faced by emergency staff. That means better protection for employees and tougher sentences from the courts for those convicted of attacks.”

Professor Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Nursing staff and other NHS workers face a torrent of violence and abuse while they try to provide care. Year after year, disgraceful attacks against our predominantly female profession steadily rise, while confidence falls among staff that employers will do anything about it. This is a national emergency for staff safety and it should profoundly shock us all.

“These figures are saddening, but they will only represent the tip of iceberg. What staff need isn’t more talk of ‘zero tolerance’. Instead, we need a culture where staff are empowered to speak up and supported to report crimes to the police. Employers and the police must take action – and be seen to take action.

“Employers have a legal duty to protect their staff, but it’s clear so many are failing. Alongside action at employer level, we need ministers to address the link between under-resourced services, waiting times and rising violence against staff. That requires new investment in those services and the nursing workforce, specifically to increase capacity and ease intolerable pressures.”