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Paramedics in Alice Springs are increasingly being assaulted while treating patients, with St John Ambulance recording 100 attacks in 2026 and police called to assist staff on 43 occasions. The violence is affecting emergency response times, causing psychological trauma and physical injuries, and prompting calls for improved protections such as body-worn cameras and possible OC spray. Former paramedic Abbie Studley, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and blindness in an earlier attack, says the community needs stronger measures to support frontline workers.
Abbie Studley was seriously assaulted while on the job two years ago. Abbey Studley sits in the passenger seat of a kitted-out SUV as her colleague, Dave O'Toole, runs through potential scenarios with the intel they have on their comms screen.
It's a little after 6pm on a Tuesday night and the Alice Springs intensive care paramedics have just begun their shift. They've received a simple call to assist a person experiencing a medical issue, but a recent spate of violence against frontline workers in the Central Australian town means the St John Ambulance crews never know what they will face when they're called out.
Abbey Studley calls the police after a violent incident in which her colleagues were punched and spat on. Earlier this week, they invited the ABC to ride along with paramedics — and although everything is calm when they pick up their first patient, things change en route to the hospital.
By the time they arrive at the ambulance bay at Alice Springs Hospital, the patient has become aggressive and attacks the paramedics, punching and spitting at them as they try to provide care. It's the 100th attack on Alice Springs ambulance staff for 2026, according to St John data, with the majority being physical assaults.
With just three 24-hour crews and one intensive care unit staffed by 45 paramedics, there aren't many local St John staff members who haven't experienced violence.
"It makes me particularly disappointed and I'm angry that another one of my staff have been victims of violence," Abbey says. ABC News: Xavier Martin"There's never an excuse for violence … and what we've seen tonight is another example of our staff being victims of violence for no reason.
" The flow-on effects from occupational violence will mean people will be waiting longer for an ambulance. "We've now got three staff delivering statements to police currently, and as you can see behind me all three of our Alice Springs resources are currently at hospital handing over patients or providing statements to police," Abbey says. Abbey is no stranger to violence on the job. Two years ago, she was brutally attacked in the line of duty.
The attack occurred shortly before midnight in October 2024, just as Abbey finished her shift, when a man pulled her from her fast-response vehicle. Abbey says she had time to activate a duress alarm before the perpetrator dragged her down the street by her arm. Abbey Studley suffered a traumatic brain injury and blindness in one eye following an attack while she was at work.
"I've psychologically blocked a lot of that out and it's hard now for me to recall exactly what transpired," Abbey says. "I have blindness in my right eye and I have limited feeling in my left arm.
"As a result, she spent two months in an acquired brain injury unit in Melbourne, and many more months seeking treatment to recover. ) "I was told by a number of specialists and doctors that I would never return to this career and that made me really devastated and really sad," she says.
"I feel so lucky and privileged to come to work every day and proud to wear this St John uniform and provide life-saving critical care and really high-level compassionate care to the community," she says. "I think what's tough is knowing that there's still somebody that could be in the community or in the wider community who could perpetrate that level of violence again," she says.
(Following the assault on her colleagues on Tuesday, Abbey says her team will take their time to regroup and debrief.
"They'll be given time to stand down and recoup, maybe have a cup of tea or a coffee and a break and a little check-in with each other," she says. "It's up to them whether or not they would like to keep working and that's obviously very individual. "Look, they're upset. This is a significant number of assaults now in this region since the start of this year.
"across the Northern Territory. Last month, Alice Springs Member for Braitling Joshua Burgoyne revealed the NT government had been discussing the two measures with St John management. According to St John Ambulance data, police have been called to assist their workers on 43 occasions so far this year.
St John NT chief executive Abigail Trewin says although body-worn cameras pose some privacy challenges, the service is talking to staff about "who and where and how we would roll something like this out".
"We work in effectively a tin box — you're transporting a patient," she says. "It's not a lot of space, so discharging OC spray in that environment is probably not very sensible. " NT Health Minister Steve Edgington says while no paramedics have approached him requesting OC spray for protection in their workplace, the government will consider it.
"If that's something that St John believes will assist them in delivering their services and protecting and providing evidence of any assaults or threatening behaviour against them again, we will work with St John to look at what their needs are," he says. "When they go to work they're there to help people. They shouldn't be threatened.
"Last month, St John NT joined forces with Tangentyere Council, which manages Aboriginal town camps in Alice Springs. Ms Trewin says the partnership aims to create "safer, more positive interactions" between paramedics and Aboriginal patients in the town.
"It is also about trust, communication and understanding the communities we serve. " She hopes the partnership will eventually lead to Indigenous liaison officers working with the ambulance service, although that will rely on funding. Alice Springs paramedics hope a new partnership with Tangentyere Council will help strengthen relationships in the community. Tangentyere Council chief executive Walter Shaw says he hopes the memorandum of understanding will result in a safer work environment for Alice Springs paramedics.
"We need to ensure that we put out a social safety net for our St John's Ambulance Service and also the residents of town camps in Alice Springs," he says. For Abbey, the partnership is some of the best preventative work she's ever seen.
"It's about two-way learning, it's about sharing knowledge and it's about becoming part of the community," she says. "It's a real privilege to wear this uniform and it's a real privilege to serve this community," she says. "We're really grateful for community members for protecting us and keeping us safe whenever they can. "
Paramedic Assaults Alice Springs St John Ambulance Occupational Violence Emergency Healthcare
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