Derry Divisional officer, Alan Cahill, said that both physical and verbal attacks are on the increase.

A man was arrested after an alleged attack on Thursday night, in which a patient in an ambulance was said to have assaulted the crew and damaged the vehicle on its way to Derry's Altnagelvin Hospital.

This follows an incident last Friday when a female officer sustained fractures to both hands while trying to give a patient medical aid after answering a 999 call.

Mr Cahill said:"The attacks seem to be increasing. An ambulance crew was attacked in the early hours of this morning and I have just found out that a crew has been verbally attacked at another call in the city.

Appeal to the public

"That means that there have been two attacks on ambulance crews inside 24 hours, which it totally unacceptable."

"I would appeal to the population for the safety of the ambulance crews to allow them to carry out their professional duties.

"These attacks are putting ambulance officers and patients at risk, as response times are inevitably affected as a result."

In another incident last weekend, police officers calling an ambulance to help an injured man lying in Waterloo Street, in Derry City Centre, were attacked by a mob.