A man has been arrested after a North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) emergency ambulance was targeted by a thief outside the Sunderland Royal Hospital at around 05:30 hours this morning (13th April).
It is understood that the thief stole items from the vehicle as the crew were handing a patient over to A&E staff at the hospital.
Thanks to the quick actions of security and hospital staff, the thief was unable to flee from the scene after trying to make off with the life-saving equipment.
NEAS Strategic Commander Stuart Holliday said:
“The thought of anyone breaking into an emergency ambulance whilst a crew is handing over a patient is truly shocking.
“Thefts from a vehicle such as this can result in an ambulance being taken off the road until it is restocked, leaving the vehicle and crew unavailable for someone else in need in the local area, not to mention the cost involved to our service in replacing equipment.
“Thankfully, the equipment was retrieved quickly in this case, and therefore did not impact on the care our crew were able to provide.
“We hope the speedy response will serve as a reminder that such crimes will be acted upon quickly and those responsible will be apprehended and brought to justice.”
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police tweeted:
“It almost beggars belief that someone would try to steal medical equipment that is there to ultimately help save people’s lives.
“We’re delighted to have retrieved the supplies & returned them.
“Superb partnership working to achieve a positive outcome.”
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