More than 200 assaults were committed against ambulance staff across Grampian and the Highlands and Islands over the last six years.
Figures unearthed by Tories under Freedom of Information legislation have revealed 208 attacks were carried out in the ambulance service’s north region since 2013.
The north has the largest geographical area of the service’s four regions with emergency service staff covering 15,607 square miles including Grampian, the Highlands and Islands.
A total of 1,889 assaults were recorded over the last six years across Scotland. Most took place in the West region where there were 1,033 attacks.
Banff and Buchan Tory MP David Duguid said: “Attacking any member of the emergency services is despicable.
“These people are working to protect the public in high-risk situations where every second counts.
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“That is especially true in areas with a large rural population. It is important to note that the SNP Scottish government has pushed a presumption against sentences of less than 12 months for crimes.
“That means attacking paramedics will not now even be considered for a jail term in most cases.”
The data revealed that the Scotstar neonatal retrieval ambulance and helicopter, used for high-risk baby transfers, was attacked three times since 2013.
An ambulance service spokesman said: “Our staff should not have to fear for their safety when treating patients and keeping them safe is of paramount importance to us.
“We have a range of measures in place to help protect staff, known or reported areas where staff have previously faced violence or threatening behaviour are automatically flagged to our crews, who can then request additional support, if required.
“Staff are trained in managing aggression and assessing risk, enabling them to better judge when they need to wait for support from the police, or additional ambulance crews.”
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman’s spokesman said: “As usual, the Tories are guilty of breath-taking hypocrisy, given that they were the only party to vote against giving specific legal protection to emergency workers.
“The presumption against short sentences is not a ban – courts can impose sentences of less than a year where they feel it is appropriate, and we extended the Emergency Workers Act to include ambulance workers in 2008, meaning perpetrators face penalties of up to 12 months imprisonment, a £10,000 fine, or both.”
