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Helmets of bike medics stolen while they work
Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor27 Nov 2008
PATIENTS' lives are being put at risk by thieves who are stealing helmets used by motorbike paramedics, it was revealed today.
The London Ambulance Service said four incidents in the past month alone had left motorcycle staff unable to respond to 999 calls while they waited for a replacement helmet.
The helmets, which cost £600 to replace, are fitted with special radio equipment which allows control room staff to update riders on the road.
Motorcycle response co-ordinator Shaun Rock said: "[This] means our staff are not able to respond to patients in a life-threatening condition while they wait for a replacement."
Mr Rock said the helmets would only work with ambulance radios so were useless to thieves.
In one theft, paramedic Joe Phillips was treating a baby in Islington when his helmet was removed from his bike by a teenager. He said: "When I came out of the house a teenager was wearing my helmet. When he saw me he laughed and ran off [and] I wasn't able to respond to 999 calls a few hours later."
Another had his helmet stolen and thrown over a fence. He had been treating a man with a serious head injury in Lisson Grove and was unable to answer emergency calls for three hours as the helmet was cracked.
Reader views (16)
....Lesson for the day. 'Take your helmet with you'!!
Not rocket science, surely!
- Phil, South East, 28/11/2008 08:19
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No - why should they have to lock their helmets to their bikes - good god they are there saving lives - why should they have to take precious time locking their helmets before attending to their patient. What is Britain coming to..... no normal human being would think of doing such a thing but then I suppose these thieving sods are not normal. I blame it on their parents - some people dont deserve children.....
- Barbara, sydney, Australia,, 28/11/2008 07:02
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No - why should they have to lock their helmets to their bikes - good god they are there saving lives - why should they have to take precious time locking their helmets before attending to their patient. What is Britain coming to..... no normal human being would think of doing such a thing but then I suppose these thieving sods are not normal. I blame it on their parents - some people dont deserve children.....
- Barbara, sydney, Australia,, 28/11/2008 07:02
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Here in France this would be unthinkable . The Pompiers ( firemen) are highly revered . They also work as paramedics (sapeurs)and run specially equipped cardiac response vehicles. Social events are held in EVERY village and town to raise money for them and every Xmas they call round selling Xmas calenders which are always bought and contributions are substantial . ( I'm told that as they are volunteers , the money goes towards paying thier insurannce which they have to pay themselves (? ).
In French gift shops you will regularly see figures and statuettes of fireman - pretty awful most of them , but there must be a market for them !
This is why I live in France -The police are respected -as are the elderly .
- Nigel - Ex-Met, France, 28/11/2008 00:07
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Someone else needed that helmet. Take from those that have and give to those that don't. What's the problem?
- Trunk, US, 27/11/2008 22:53
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I think that even if we were (in theory) allowed to discipline other people's kids, I don't think anyone would dare to do it anyway, for fear having a knife pulled at them. We all know what happened to the guy who told a kid on a bus to take his feet off the chair...
One day this is all going to lead to lawlessness, because kids will think that they're immune from punishment.
As for the ambulance bikers when they answer a 999 call, their thoughts are probably on saving someone's life, and not whether their helmet's safe. And just because helmet's been left unattended, it doesn't mean it's "for the taking". And maybe someone should teach us kids not to steal (because, in effect, taking someone's property without their consent *is* stealing). Any volunteers?
- Althea, London, London, England, 27/11/2008 20:11
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£600 for the helmet they use is outragous ,£600 would buy a top of the range Arai or Shoei including fitting the radio equipment,and why dont they take the helmet to the place they are attending ? they dont leave their keys in the bike so why leave their helmet on the bike ?
- Peter Ex Motorcycle Courier For 20 Years, Hartlepool, 27/11/2008 19:43
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What I don't understand is why they are leaving their helmets just sitting on the bikes when they go into a house. Surely these are similar to the helmets the police riders us and fully open at the front to allow them to talk to people easily. If so, don't take the helmet off until you are inside.
- Gordon, Slough, 27/11/2008 16:57
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This is London,what do you expect?
Add this to the fact that young people are not allowed to be disciplined properly by teachers or parents and you have a society that do what the hell they like.
It's a joke really.
- Steve, London, 27/11/2008 16:18
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Those seconds to secure a helmet could be the difference between life and death. What a question!
To many UK newcomers it must seem a world of opportunity, cycle helmets being left unattended to massives of shop shelves loaded with goodies just waiting to be 'lifted'. The question should be as to how one can teach the way of the world in the UK?
- Tony Islander, Herts, 27/11/2008 14:57
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Let's hope that one of these thieving git's has a serious accident and the medic's are delayed in arriving because they can't find their helmets.
- Roger, Surrey., 27/11/2008 14:55
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Im really surprised there is any law and order in this country at all,the hands of the police are tied as are the judges and magistrates.There is a sickness in this country and it will rebound on us all.People that behave in such a anti social way should be treated in such a harsh way that thay would never even think of doing anything so utterly sick again,thay should be made a example of to deter others like them.Please write to ur mps etc calling for harsher sentencing and zero tolerance approach to crime,it worked in new york and the states and it will work here,if only we had politicians with guts instead of appeasers.
- Kev, London, 27/11/2008 13:07
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fit them with a tracker
- Stuart, london, 27/11/2008 13:00
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Of course Peter, Its there fault those silly biker medics in such a rush to save a life and assist a person in distress thay didnt stop and waste valuable time to locking there helmets to there bikes.
- Kev, London, 27/11/2008 11:37
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The fact is Peter, they should not have to.
- Gary, london, 27/11/2008 10:36
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Why are they not locking their helmets to their bikes when they take them off ?
- Peter Haldane, London, 27/11/2008 09:39
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