Health

Streatham terror attack: London Ambulance Service defends response time after claims paramedics took 30 minutes to arrive



The London Ambulance Service has defended its response to the Streatham terror attack after it was claimed paramedics took half an hour to arrive at the scene. 

Sudesh Amman was shot dead by armed police after two people were stabbed outside an Iceland supermarket in Streatham on Sunday afternoon.

One man in his 40s is in a serious condition in hospital while a woman in her 50s received treatment for non-life threatening injuries and was discharged. A third victim, who was not stabbed, also suffered from minor injuries. 


The LAS was criticised on Monday morning for allegedly taking half an hour to arrive on the scene and treat the victims. 

But the LAS has dismissed these claims, saying their medics arrived within four minutes and approached patients as soon as police confirmed it was safe for them to do so. 

In a statement, they said: “We have hear reports that it took 30 minutes for our medics to arrive at yesterday’s incident in Streatham.

“We can confirm that our medics arrived in 4 minutes and we were initially directed to a rendezvous point until the police confirmed it was safe for them to approach patients.”

The statement came after Dave Chawner, a stand up comedian, said he was on the phone to the paramedics for more than 30 minutes after the knife attack.

He told Good Morning Britain: “I was on the phone with the paramedics for over half an hour while this poor innocent bloke was bleeding on the pavement.”

GMB host Piers Morgan put it to Mr Chawner that the slow response was because the terrorist had a suicide vest on so emergency services did not deem it safe to approach the scene.

Dave Chawner, a stand up comedian, said he was on the phone to the paramedics for more than 30 minutes (GMB)

Mr Morgan said: “The problem was that they believe that the terrorist had a suicide vest on him and it turned out to be a hoax suicide device.

“But they were very worried understandably, apparently, that anybody who came into that vicinity they could themselves be in threat of their life.”

Mr Chawner replied: “I don’t want to blame anyone because the services that were there were amazing and incredible.

“However, I spoke to one of the police offices, who was quite distressed himself that the ambulances weren’t there.”

On Twitter, the LAS also shared a statement from Graham Norton, its strategic commander, saying: “We were called at 1.58pm today (2 February) to reports of an incident in Streatham High Road.

“We worked closely with other emergency services and sent a number of resources including five ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic practitioner, an incident response officer and a motorcycle responder, and we also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.

“The first of our medics arrived in four minutes, and were initially directed to a rendezvous point until the Metropolitan Police confirmed it was safe for them to approach and treat patients.

“We treated three patients for injuries, and took all three to hospital.”



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