A call has been made for tougher sentences for those who attack emergency workers as the number of assaults rise.
With thousands of assaults on emergency workers recorded every year in Northern Ireland and the figures increasing, former health service nurse Bernadette Vassallo has started an online campaign for tougher sentences.
More than a thousand people have signed a petition calling for the extension of Harper's Law to Northern Ireland, and to also increase sentences for those convicted of assaults on emergency services staff, as well as a change to legislation in terms of what is classed as a deadly weapon.
