Prince William has praised the London Ambulance Service for encouraging staff to report physical and verbal assaults, following a visit to its headquarters. The Prince of Wales, patron of the College of Paramedics, heard about the scale of abuse faced by first responders, with an 11 per cent rise in assaults reported in the past year.
During the visit, he spoke with paramedic Charlotte Miller, who was sexually assaulted during a call-out in Edgware Road. The perpetrator was jailed for nine months. Miller told the prince that her manager and team had been “brilliant” in supporting her decision to speak out. William commended her courage, saying: “Well done you for speaking out. There’s always going to be people who just shut it down and don’t want to talk about it.”
Chief paramedic officer Pauline Cranmer, the UK’s first female chief paramedic, described the abuse statistics as “quite horrifying,” with around seven incidents reported daily by ambulance crews and call handlers in London. William, a former air ambulance pilot and longstanding campaigner for mental health support for first responders, also visited the emergency operations control room, where call handlers told him they regularly face verbal abuse from callers.
The prince viewed new electric vehicles, including the world’s first purpose-built all-electric ambulance, and observed a training simulation. He praised the expanding role of paramedics, saying: “It feels like that role is getting bigger and bigger. It’s great to see it all. Keep up the good work.”
