Thief breaks into ambulance and steals paramedic’s belongings while they treat patient

A thief broke into an ambulance in broad daylight and stole a paramedic’s belongings as they treated a patient.

Video footage shows the hooded male smash the passenger side window of the vehicle, before jumping head-first through it.

He then grabs two rucksacks, which belong to the crew, before running off.

The incident happened around 5pm on May 6, when the ambulance was locked and parked in Sandridge Close, Harrow, north west London.

London Ambulance Service has released the footage in the hope someone will recognise the thief.

Acting chief executive Dr Fenella Wrigley said: ‘Our ambulance crew were responding to an emergency and, while helping their patient, a thief has stolen their bags and damaged an ambulance.

‘To deliberately target our crew in this way is appalling and they are understandably extremely upset.

‘The damage caused to the ambulance means it is now off the road being repaired, unable to respond to patients. The money to repair the damage would be better spent on caring for our patients.

‘We will not tolerate attacks on our staff or our vehicles and would urge the public to contact the police if they have any information.’

London Ambulance Service has fitted ambulances and response cars with a crew safety system which includes CCTV, which is how this video was captured, panic buttons and electronic tracking.

The service has a dedicated Violence Reduction Unit which encourages colleagues to report all incidents of abuse while also supporting them through the court process.

It has also has joined ambulance services across the country to launch a ‘Work Without Fear’ campaign to promote a no-violence culture and help keep crews and call handlers safe.

The number of violent assaults, acts of aggression and incidents of abuse against ambulance staff in the UK was the highest on record last month, the Guardian reports.

In the 2024-2025 period, there were 22,536 incidents of violence, aggression and abuse directed at paramedics and other ambulance workers, which is 15% higher than the previous 12 months, according to figures from the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) show.

Dr Wrigley added: ‘If anyone is violent towards our crews or vandalises our vehicles, they will be caught on our CCTV cameras. We share evidence with the police and we work with the police and the courts to ensure offenders are brought to justice.’

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘We are currently investigating a theft from ambulance, that took place in Sandridge Close, HA1 on Tuesday, 6 May. We encourage anyone who has information to come forward to police.’

You can call 101 stating 5709/06MAY or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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