A shift begins in Alice Springs

Abbey Studley and Dave O'Toole start their Tuesday evening shift as intensive care paramedics for St John Ambulance in Alice Springs. They receive a call to assist someone with a medical issue.

Violence is the new normal

Recent assaults on frontline workers in Alice Springs mean paramedics never know what they will face when called out. The town has seen a spate of violence against emergency staff.

Patient turns violent en route

The first patient becomes aggressive during transport to Alice Springs Hospital, punching and spitting at paramedics as they try to provide care. Abbey calls police and the patient is arrested.

One hundred attacks this year

This assault is the one hundredth attack on Alice Springs ambulance staff in 2026, according to St John data. The majority are physical assaults. With just forty-five paramedics, few have escaped violence.

Abbey's anger at another attack

Abbey Studley says she is disappointed and angry that another staff member has been a victim of violence. She states there is never an excuse for violence and condemns what happened.

“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.”

Assaults delay emergency response

Three paramedics are now giving statements to police. All three Alice Springs ambulance resources are at the hospital handing over patients or providing statements, meaning longer waits for other emergencies.

Abbey's own brutal attack

Two years ago, Abbey was seriously assaulted while on duty. Shortly before midnight in October 2024, a man pulled her from her fast-response vehicle and dragged her down the street by her arm.

“I thought I was going to die”

Permanent injuries from the attack

Abbey sustained over twenty punches to the head, resulting in blindness in her right eye, limited feeling in her left arm, and a traumatic brain injury. She spent two months in an acquired brain injury unit in Melbourne.

Doctors said she could not return

Specialists and doctors told Abbey she would never return to paramedic work, which devastated her. But sixteen months later, she returned to the community and the job she loves.

No one charged for Abbey's assault

No one has ever been charged with Abbey's assault. She worries that the perpetrator could still be in the community and might commit violence again against paramedics or others.

Protective measures under discussion

Body-worn cameras and OC spray have been floated as measures to curb violence against paramedics across the Northern Territory. Last month, Alice Springs Member for Braitling Joshua Burgoyne revealed the NT government had been discussing these with St John management.

Practical concerns with equipment

St John NT chief executive Abigail Trewin says body-worn cameras pose privacy challenges. She notes that OC spray is impractical in ambulances because paramedics work in a confined space transporting patients.

“We work in effectively a tin box, you're transporting a patient. It's not a lot of space, so discharging OC spray in that environment is probably not very sensible.”

Community partnership for safety

St John NT has joined forces with Tangentyere Council, which manages Aboriginal town camps in Alice Springs. The partnership aims to create safer interactions between paramedics and Aboriginal patients and may lead to Indigenous liaison officers working with the ambulance service.