THE Ambulance Service has voiced concerns at the high number of attacks on staff - with more than 12 incidents every week.
It said it was "regrettable and concerning, that a number of people who call on us for help, feel it is acceptable to treat our staff in this way".
It added that the levels of abuse and physical harm which personnel counter "should never be considered an occupational hazard".
The NIAS has highlighted the issue after a 17-year-old man was arrested after two members of staff were assaulted yesterday evening.
During the incident, which happened in the Rossnagalliagh area of Derry, the NIAS said the crew had been called to "attend a male patient who had been found on the street and in obvious need of help".
"When the crew arrived at 8.23pm the patient was fully conscious and in an agitated state. As the patient was being transferred into the ambulance, he struck out, rendering a blow to the upper body of one of the crew and then proceeded to kick the second member of staff".
While the PSNI took the man into custody, a second NIAS crew had to be dispatched to help their injured colleagues.
Michael Bloomfield, Chief Executive of the NIAS, said he is "greatly concerned at the continuing high number of physical and verbal assaults on our staff".
"These attacks occur too frequently and they are totally unacceptable to our staff, us and society in general," he said.
"I have no hesitation in calling for appropriate action to be taken, through the judicial system, against those who are responsible for these assaults".
Mr Bloomfield said such attacks can have a "lasting emotional and psychological impact on our staff when physical wounds may have healed much quicker".
"Our staff deserve better and we will continue to support them through measures available to us, including immediate management and peer support which will continue for as long as necessary," he said.
"Our message is quite simply that these attacks must stop and that those who continue to assault our staff must become accountable to the full rigour of the law.
"We would appeal to anyone in a position of influence to support us in our efforts to eradicate this totally unacceptable behaviour."
The PSNI said the 17-year-old man last night remained in custody.
