Attacks on Scottish Ambulance Service staff have risen since last year according to recent statistics.

A report from the Scottish Ambulance Service reveals that over 300 staff were physically or verbally abused in the last year

The eye-opening figures revealed that out of the 328 staff who suffered abuse, nearly half were either punched, kicked or spat on.

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The number of attacks on the staff has risen by 51 since 2022.

More than a quarter of staff were also verbally abused in the calendar year, with 21 staff having been threatened by a knife or bottle.

The ambulance service also revealed that most of the attacks happened in the West region with 176 compared to the East which saw 123 attacks. The North region saw 27 this year.

Michael Dickson, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “We strongly condemn violence against our staff. 

"They have the right to carry out their work helping patients and saving lives without fear of assault or abuse.

“Our staff are having to deal with incidents nearly every single day and that is totally unacceptable.

"No form of abuse will be tolerated and we will continue to work with Police Scotland to take action against perpetrators."