AMBULANCE crews are being prevented from entering 33 addresses in the TD postcode area unaccompanied, amid fears for their safety, it has been revealed.

The 33 Borders homes have been ‘red flagged’ as being unsafe – which means paramedics can only go in to respond to a 999 call when there is a police officer present to help protect them.

The figures, released through a Freedom of Information request to the Scottish Conservatives, showed there were more than 2,500 addresses across Scotland that are deemed unsafe.

The TD postcode is commonly known as the Galashiels area, but covers most of the Scottish Borders.

Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP Rachael Hamilton (Cons) said: “Paramedics already have to put up with a lot during their working hours when they have to respond to people with devastating injuries or even worse.

“It is sickening that there are so many Borders addresses that are deemed too unsafe to attend with police protection.

“It has always baffled me as to why people attack those who are trying to help.

“I want to see tougher action from the courts when people have assaulted or threatened paramedics, or indeed any member of the emergency services.

“Like us all, they should be able to attend their place of work without fear.”

Lauderdale and Tweeddale MSP Christine Grahame (SNP) said: “I deplore any aggression towards our emergency services which deal with the most difficult and at times the most tragic of circumstances. Every assault, every threat is one too many. That is why in 2005 the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act was introduced to make it an aggravated offence to threaten or assault an emergency worker. This does not exclude the use of common law for the very worst of assaults.

“The law is there and I am confident that our police, themselves often at the scene of emergencies, our prosecution service and our courts do not take such assaults or attacks lightly with a range of disposals available.

“What a politician must never do, as Ms Hamilton has done, is seek to interfere in the process of law. It is cheap politics to call for the courts to “do more” and to attack our legal processes when she should look beyond the figures to find the cause of the increase."

But a Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said that being red-flagged wouldn’t mean someone not being treated if police weren’t available: “Getting to the sickest patients will always be our priority, regardless of whether the police are in attendance.

“Our staff are trained in assessing risk and managing aggression so that they can make a sensible decision based on the circumstances.

“Our staff should not fear for their safety when working, which is why we have introduced a range of measures to help protect them – individual addresses where staff have previously faced violence or threatening behaviour are automatically flagged to our crews, who can then request additional support, only if required.

“We keep these individual addresses under review to ensure our system is up-to-date.”