The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act was passed by parliament and received royal assent in 2018 after the tireless work and campaigning by Holly, Chris Bryant MP and many others.

Holly said after the bill had its third reading: “I’m delighted that the bill passed its final reading and should become law by the end of the year.

“Our emergency service workers are there to save lives and deserve the best protections possible. MPs have sent a message loud and clear to the people who would assault these staff, that this will absolutely not be tolerated.”

The Bill passed unanimously at third reading.

The law applies to emergency service workers including firefighters, paramedics, and those involved in Search and Rescue. It was supported by the Royal College of Nursing, Unison, the Fire Bridges Union, and the GMB union.

Holly, whose parents both worked in frontline emergency service roles, said:

“It’s absolutely unacceptable that many hard-working men and women face serious assault and abuse simply for doing their jobs trying to keep us all safe and well.

“Any assault on emergency workers is unacceptable, and it’s about time the law reflected the seriousness of attacks on people working for the public good.

In the Bill’s first year of passing, it led to the charging of 11,097 people in England & Wales for assaulting an emergency worker. Holly paid tribute to all the hard work done by campaigners and colleagues to help get the bill over the line (in particular to Chris Bryant MP who sponsored the bill)

Assault on emergency workers in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Equalities Impact Assessment – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)