There are concerns Alice Springs paramedics are being left traumatised by sustained physical and verbal abuse, as ambulances are being targeted in the streets.
St John Ambulance emergency communications manager Craig Garraway said in one incident this week, offenders had hurled rocks at a single-officer response vehicle.
While the paramedic was not injured, they were left deeply distressed by the incident, Mr Garraway said, with the vehicle sustaining minor damage.
"It's frustrating for us because our people are out there trying to help," he said.
"And our vehicles are being damaged and our staff are being traumatised by it."
A paramedic in the NT for 33 years, Mr Garraway said attacks like these had only begun in recent years in a concerning trend across the Territory.
"Emergency service workers in general are very resilient, but they go to work to help people. They don't go to work to be assaulted, abused and have rocks thrown at them."
'It's becoming the norm now'
In 2022, St John Ambulance recorded 80 incidents of physical and verbal abuse towards paramedics in the NT.
Of those, 31 were in the southern region, which includes Alice Springs and Tennant Creek.
Some assaults were made by patients towards staff, while others were committed by bystanders or people "in the vicinity" of ambulance staff or property.
This year, 17 incidents have been recorded for the NT to date, with nine of those in the southern region.
But the real numbers could be much higher.
Mr Garraway said that, on average, he was hearing paramedics were being verbally abused daily, and physically abused about twice a week.
"People regularly spit at our paramedics in their face.
"I've witnessed a star picket go through the windscreen and the steering wheel of a car and just miss a paramedic.
"We've had paramedics injured along the way but it could have been a lot worse — it could have ended up in death."
He said the "trauma and fear" from incidents was taking its toll.
"We never had the dramas of paramedics being assaulted to the level we do nowadays.
"I hate to say it's becoming the norm now, which is really frustrating."
Tougher penalties for assaults
Emergency Services Minister Kate Worden said any assault of an emergency worker was a "disgusting act" and "completely unacceptable".
She said the government had worked to better protect frontline workers, strengthening legislation in 2019 to ensure paramedics and other frontline staff were afforded the same protections as police.
In September, the government also amended sentencing laws so the offence of spitting on police or emergency workers became an aggravated assault, with offenders now facing up to 10 years in jail.
However, the NT Opposition claimed this did not go far enough.
In March last year, the Country Liberal Party introduced a bill to impose automatic prison terms on those who assault police officers and other frontline workers.
It was voted down by Labor, with the government claiming it was a "headline grab".
But the Member for Braitling, Joshua Burgoyne, claimed it would have "gone a long way" towards deterring assaults on frontline workers.
"Real consequences for those that continue to act in such a way are what is needed to ensure laws are in line with community expectations," he said.
"The [NT Police Association] surveys shows that 96.7 per cent of police don't feel supported by the Labor government — and this is part of the reason why."
Paramedic shortage continues
St John Ambulance said it worked closely with police to keep paramedics safe wherever possible.
And in a positive trend, it had seen a noticeable decrease in assaults against paramedics since alcohol restrictions were reinstated across the NT.
But Mr Garraway said the unpredictability of the job meant safety was never assured.
"What seems like a quiet scene and a safe scene can very quickly change," he said.
"Whether that's because of alcohol or drugs or emotions related to the incident going on, there's many varying reasons for these assaults."
A shortage of paramedics across the country is also continuing to impact the region, with St John Ambulance currently "recruiting heavily" to fill gaps.
But Mr Garraway said ongoing violence towards paramedics in Alice Springs was providing a major roadblock to anyone considering moving to the region.
"Alice Springs is a gorgeous place — I did nine years there and loved it — but you've got to make it attractive, and going to work every day being abused doesn't make it attractive."
