Police took 4,000 people to hospital in three years
Police officers took sick and injured people to hospital at least 4,485 times in England and Wales over the past three years, figures have shown.
Officers from 12 forces stood in for paramedics on the equivalent of four times a day since 2012, according to results from a Freedom of Information Request. This is despite the fact that it is not in their job remit and the Ambulance Service frowns on the practice.
Officers at Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Cleveland, Durham, Essex, Lancashire, the Met, Norfolk, North Wales, Northumbria, South Wales and Wiltshire Police took people to accident and emergency departments because ambulances were unavailable.
Figures were not recorded for every year for most forces, so the actual total is likely to be much higher. For instance, Lancashire Police, who recorded 382 trips, only started collating records in November 2014.
South Wales Police officers made 583 trips to hospital. Northumbria Police officers made 1,418 trips over the past three years in geographically one of the largest forces in the country, covering 2,000 square miles.
And the Met took people to hospital on 903 occasions last year – although further figures were not available.
No results were received from Police Scotland or the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Steve White, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “Police officers routinely find themselves dealing with medical emergencies, with patrol cars forced to become makeshift ambulances when emergency medical care and paramedics are unavailable.
“We understand the strain that the Government’s public service reforms have placed on all emergency services, but any time spent by police transporting casualties to hospital is time they are not spending on the streets.”
He has raised the issue with Home Secretary Theresa May.
Simon Newport, Chairman of North Wales Police Federation, is a 24/7 response Officer on a rota in Colwyn Bay. He said: “These incidents are not quick to deal with and generally see me and my colleagues taken off the front line for hours on end. Every one of these incidents means police officers are taken off the streets, and at peak times this means the ability to protect public safety reaches critical levels.”
Both the Home Office and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives are unhappy about the practice and said they are working together to better manage demand. A number of initiatives have been introduced across the country to reduce the number of trips officers are taking.
A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs’ Council added: “On behalf of Chief Officers, CC Simon Cole is working with Ambulance Chief Executives and the Home Office to ensure that police and Ambulance resources are appropriately tasked.
“National guidance has been circulated to forces and information on Police Service demand in this field is with every force so that they can work through any issues with ambulance trusts.”