More than 2,800 addresses across Scotland have been flagged with “violence warnings” for ambulance staff.
Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives show there were 2,846 addresses with a “violence warning” flag in February 2015, meaning paramedics may be at risk if they are called out, and dispatchers can request police support.
Addresses are flagged by control rooms when there have been previous incidents of threatening or violent behaviour towards staff.
The figure, provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service, gives a snapshot of the number of addresses with violence warnings. The total can change on a daily basis, the service said.
The Conservatives highlighted previous figures, published in 2012, which showed just 437 addresses were potential “no-go” areas.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said: “Frontline ambulance staff do an incredibly important job and they have the right to go about their normal duties without fear of being attacked.
“When someone is convicted of attacking a paramedic, the punishment should be severe enough to make it plainly clear that this will not be tolerated.
“At a time when budgets are constrained, we cannot afford to have ambulances waiting outside no-go addresses. This can also stop other crews from attending other life-threatening emergencies.
“It’s not the first time Scottish Conservatives have raised this but having done so it is surely inexcusable for the SNP to have sat back and allowed the position to deteriorate further while continually boasting of its records on health and crime levels.
“Violence should not be tolerated and the SNP government need to be looking at cracking down on those who attack our frontline emergency workers.”