ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-09-17 · by Emma Masters and Stewart Brash
The Northern Territory government is considering allowing paramedics to carry pepper spray as a defensive measure against workplace violence, following incidents such as one where six paramedics had to barricade themselves inside a home in Alice Springs while treating a patient. In Central Australia alone, there have been 88 serious violent incidents against ambulance officers since January this year. The government is also exploring the introduction of body-worn cameras for first responders.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Northern Territory government has proposed allowing paramedics to carry pepper spray and body-worn cameras in response to increasing violence against ambulance staff. In Alice Springs, six paramedics were recently forced to barricade themselves inside a home while treating a patient, highlighting the severity of the issue. According to St John Ambulance NT, there have been 88 serious violent incidents since January this year, and first responders in Darwin also report record-high assault rates. The Alice Springs Member for Braitling, Joshua Burgoyne, stated that it is "extraordinarily disappointing" to see such attacks on paramedics and noted the government's commitment to supporting staff welfare through additional training and policies encouraging withdrawal when they feel unsafe.
Written for “NT Paramedic Safety Measure” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 17161 · logged 2026-09-18
In short:
The NT government has floated the idea of paramedics in the territory carrying pepper spray for their safety at work.
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paramedics → float → work
The suggestion comes in response to ongoing high rates of assaults against ambulance officers on the job across the NT.
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suggestion → come → NT
In an incident last week, six paramedics were forced to barricade themselves inside a home while treating a patient in the Alice Springs.
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paramedics → force → Springs
The Northern Territory government has suggested ambulance officers carry pepper spray and body-worn cameras in an effort to combat violent incidents on the job.
uncertain
officers → suggest → job
said paramedics in Central Australia have faced 88 instances of serious violence since January this year, while first responders in Darwin say there have been record rates of assault.
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responders → say → assault
The Alice Springs Member for Braitling Joshua Burgoyne said it was "extraordinarily disappointing" to see people attack paramedics and that his government was looking at how it could better support the service and its staff.
uncertain
it → say → service
"There's been conversations obviously with management about whether or not paramedics carrying pepper spray for a defensive aspect is something that they want to do," Mr Burgoyne said.
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Burgoyne → be → that
"Obviously there's going to be mixed views right across the workforce as to whether or not this is a positive thing.
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this → be → workforce
"As a government what we're trying to do is say 'whatever you need it's on the table'."
Earlier this year, St John Ambulance NT said it was considering introducing body-worn cameras following rioting in Alice Springs and ongoing assaults across the NT.
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it → try → NT
A string of violent incidents
The government floated the pepper spray idea following a string of violent incidents in Central Australia in the past week.
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government → float → week
On Friday September 11, six paramedics were forced to barricade themselves inside a home while treating a patient in the Alice Springs eastern suburb of Larapinta.
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paramedics → force → Larapinta
St John Ambulance NT southern regional manager Abbey Studley told ABC Radio Alice Springs paramedics were tending to the patient when "a large number of people arrived in a taxi" and "the scene changed really quickly".
"We went from a critically unwell patient that we were providing rapid life-saving treatment, to all the crew involved having to stand up really rapidly and think about their own safety first," Ms Studley said.
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Studley → tell → safety
"Our crews basically had to push violent persons outside the house and barricade themselves inside using their bodies and using a stretcher and lock themselves in the house.
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crews → have → house
"We were unable to care for the patient in the typical fashion because we had to care for our own safety and the crew's safety at that moment.
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we → care → moment
"We were trying really rapidly to provide that life-saving care, we had to adapt that because of the situation of violence, which was just horrendous."
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which → try → violence
The team set off duress alarms to notify police they needed urgent back up.
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they → set → up
The patient was able to be taken to hospital once officers arrived and the situation was under control.
St John Ambulance said the day before that incident a paramedic was struck by a glass bottle that was thrown at them and in a separate incident that week ambulance officers faced threats while transporting a patient.
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officers → take → patient
"We haven't seen a reduction in the statistics around the number of assaults perpetrated across the Northern Territory," Ms Studley said.
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Studley → see → Territory
"When that happens, once a week, once a shift, every day for a month, and it happens to you and your colleagues, it's really hard for that cumulative effect to not start to ... have an impact on our staff and therefore their welfare."
As a result, St John Ambulance has rolled out additional training in preventative action, de-escalation, cultural safety and have introduced a policy encouraging staff to withdraw when they feel unsafe.
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they → happen → staff
"Because of violence perpetrated by others on scene, our crews are having to withdraw and that takes a toll on, not only the critically ill patient, but also on the paramedics who joined this career to really help people," Ms Studley said.
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Studley → perpetrate → people
"It's really disappointing, but it's also the decision that I really champion for my staff is you come first and I need to be able to put you guys on the road every day.
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I → champion → road
"And if you're not safe, you can't deliver that care anyway."
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you → deliver → care
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