AMBULANCE managers in Lancashire have turned to the police to help them tackle violence towards paramedics after attacks on staff shot up in the last year.

There were 162 reported incidents of violence towards staff with the Lancashire Ambulance Service from April 2001 to March 2002, compared with 112 the previous year and 69 the year before that. Of the 162 incidents reported in the last year, 85 included physical violence towards staff.

Managers are so worried at the trend that they have asked the police to look into adopting a "zero tolerance" campaign against people who attack staff.

Police in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale are already set to bring in the policy and the scheme could be adopted to cover Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley if successful.

Ambulance managers, who are becoming increasingly concerned about the dramatic rise in incidents, also believe that the true figures are likely to be even higher, but staff do not always report incidents.

Risk and quality manager with Lancashire Ambulance Trust, Frank Whiteford, said:"Tragically, the numbers of cases where physical aggression, in the form of hands-on contact takes place, has also increased, which is a real worry as well.

"The numbers of incidents have almost double and we have asked the police to take a more formal point of view with this, so that we are sending a clear message that we will not tolerate violence to our staff. We are there to help people, but we are advised to withdraw if someone becomes aggressive. It is a sad state that society is in."

Under the new scheme, the police have pledged to crack down on offenders by arresting them and hauling them before the courts.

Mr Whiteford said tougher action when cases came to court was essential. "We are having people jailed for things like stealing golf balls and yet we are having ambulance staff viciously attacked and no-one being punished for it. I think the world has gone upside down."

Ambulance service acting director Tony Dixon said: "We are not prepared to tolerate assaults on our staff any longer. The majority of our staff that are off sick is because they have either been threatened or attacked while they have been working.

"Paramedics do not come to work to be abused and assaulted and should not have to put up with this on a regular basis.

"Staff have been threatened with knives and other instruments and have been kicked and punched in the past, which is not on, and we are doing everything we can to stop it."

Mr Dixon has written to magistrates asking for stiffer sentences for convicted offenders.

A Lancashire police spokesman said: "The number of assaults on ambulance staff in the area is increasing, with people abusing them physically and verbally when they are simply trying to do their job. They are even being attacked by some of the patients they are trying to help.

Mr Dixon blamed drugs and alcohol as the main reason for attacks.