18 Jan 2014

Cameras not planned for ambulances

6:23 am on 18 January 2014

The St John ambulance service says it is not actively looking at putting cameras in its vehicles following the robbery of an ambulance in Hamilton.

A solo ambulance officer was on her way to a callout in Hamilton early on Thursday morning and was waved down by someone next to a man lying on the ground on Cameron Road.

As she went to help, two more men appeared and joined the group. The officer was manoeuvred back into the ambulance and the men searched the vehicle for drugs.

Police say while the men scoured the ambulance, the officer alerted the St John operations room and then managed to escape.

St John's Hamilton district general manager Eddie Jackson earlier said he could not rule out installing cameras but on Friday said that while security is being reviewed the use of cameras in vehicles is not being actively pursued.

St John said its procedures worked well in what was an abhorrent and unprovoked attack and the driver was able to escape unharmed.

The Ambulance Association said the attack might not have happened if the ambulance had two paramedics on board.