A paramedic was targeted by two teenage boys who demanded drugs and punched her in the face, while she was attending a separate medical incident in Stevenage.

Officers have, today, launched an appeal for information about the attempted robbery, which took place in Coventry Close, at around 11.45pm on December 31, 2021.

A police spokesperson said: "An ambulance crew was providing medical care to a resident in the area when one of the paramedics, a woman aged in her 30s, was approached by two teenage males.

"They demanded that she hand over any drugs she had, before attempting to grab a medical bag from her. When this proved unsuccessful, one of the males punched her in the face. The pair then ran off empty handed."

The suspects are described as being white, aged around 14 to 15 years old and were wearing dark clothing, including a black puffer jacket. One of the males was also wearing glasses.

Det Con Kirsty Rusbridge, from the Stevenage Local Crime Unit, said: “This was a sickening attack on an emergency service worker who was simply out doing her job.

"Thankfully she wasn’t seriously injured, but this was understandably a very frightening ordeal for her. Emergency service workers should be able to go about their jobs without fearing for their safety and this kind of shocking behaviour will simply not be tolerated.

“Our enquiries are ongoing to trace those involved and we are appealing for anyone who saw what happened and hasn’t yet spoken to police to please come forward. We’d be particularly keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and may have seen two males matching the descriptions given.

"Perhaps you were driving in the area and may have caught something of note on your dash cam? If you have any information at all, we’d like to hear from you.”

You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in the force communications room via the online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call 101, quoting crime reference 41/44/22.

Alternatively, you can stay anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.