News24 reports that City of Johannesburg firefighters marched in the inner city on Friday to raise awareness about a recent spate of attacks on Emergency Management Services (EMS) personnel.
In a statement, acting EMS chief Rapulane Monageng said that there had been a spike in the number of assaults and hijackings of EMS crews since the beginning of 2019. In just the past few weeks three incidents had been recorded, while there had been over 10 incidents since the beginning of January. The march was aimed at educating communities about the importance of firefighters and paramedics as well as the need for communities to protect them. Monageng added that the increasing prevalence of attacks on EMS personnel not only created fear and panic among those tasked with helping the community, but also disrupted service delivery to communities. In an attempt to curb the attacks, EMS and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) have identified hotspots in respect of which police will escort ambulance and fire engine crews when they respond to calls. High-risk periods have been identified as being between 22:00 to 06:00.
- Read the full original of Alex Mitchley’s report on the above, which includes details of attacks since September, at News24
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