Give us tougher mercy workers protection laws, UUP tells Justice Minister
The East Londonderry Ulster Unionist Association has started the New Year by challenging the Stormont Justice Minister "to make it her 2026 resolution to introduce tougher laws to protect our mercy workers, especially those working in A and E in hospitals as well as ambulance and paramedic staff on the ground.”
Mr Robert Carmichael, the UUP association Chairman, speaking on behalf of the Association in a major policy statement for 2026, said: “It is absolutely vital that as soon as the Executive returns from its festive recess, that steps can be taken at Stormont as soon as possible by the Justice Minister, which would make attacks on health workers and the emergency services an even more serious criminal offence.”
Mr Carmichael said the East Londonderry constituency was served by two major hospitals - Causeway in Coleraine and Altnagelvin in Londonderry as well as a network of GP surgeries and care homes - adding: “It is of the utmost importance that our medical staff in whatever capacity are given the maximum protection when they are on duty.
“Simply because there are waiting times, that is no excuse for taking frustrations out on our hard-pressed medical staff, especially when our UUP Health Minister Mike Nesbitt is working effectively to reduce those waiting times and lists.
“We regularly hear about shocking and deplorable attacks on our mercy workers, and this clearly emphasises the urgent need for the creation of even more tougher laws making it a very specific criminal offence to attack the emergency services as well as staff in hospitals.
“But this can only be effectively achieved if we have the Stormont Executive, and especially the Justice Minister, working in cohesion to support our Minister Nesbitt in bringing about workable and realistic change.”
The UUP Association Chairman said if the yob culture of attacking ‘mercy workers’ was not urgently addressed, a serious situation could arise across Northern Ireland whereby martial arts-style self-defence training would have to be given to firefighters and to doctors and nurses working in hospital Accident and Emergency units.
Mr Carmichael added: “The people who work for the emergency services also need to have their human rights recognised, too. We urgently need the introduction of even more radical measures to protect fire fighters and paramedics when they are on their ‘mercy missions’.
“No democratic society should tolerate any type of attack - whether physical or verbal - on those whose job it is to save lives. There must be a zero tolerance attitude adopted towards the mindless thugs in our community who are perpetrating these attacks on fire appliances, ambulances, their crews as well as on GPs, nurses and other health workers.
“There must be greater use of cameras and video recording equipment on emergency vehicles in the short-term. We do not want the situation to deteriorate to the level that emergency crews cannot respond to a call because of a danger to their own lives.
“Similarly, in A and E units, we do not want the situation to arise where hospitals have to provide American-style ‘panic rooms’, which are secure units where medical staff can lock themselves away in the event of serious attacks breaking out.
“If words are not followed up effectively by solutions which work practically for the benefit of the emergency staff, then the nightmare scenario could become a reality where armed guards are required to either patrol A and E units, or escort fire engines and ambulances during their ‘mercy missions’. Again, this nightmare scenario can only be avoided if devolved government is again restored at Stormont,” said UUP Association Chairman Mr Carmichael.