He has made it clear that it is entirely legitimate for magistrates to respond decisively to a particular form of criminal behaviour such as assaults on NHS staff and to impose a sentence which has a deterrent component. The reply was that one should have a panic button. The noble and learned Lord, Lord Ackner, said that that is all very well but someone must be available to answer the panic button. My Lords, I accept the noble Baroness's point. General practitioners, community staff and ambulance staff are vulnerable.
Panic buttons have their place.
Equally, it is important that a proper training programme offers advice to all staff on how they should behave, with back-up so that staff who feel threatened can call upon other staff to help them. I believe that we are getting into a more robust situation than in the past. I recall some years ago that staff affected found that they were not receiving support from management. I believe that that has changed. My Lords, I think that that is a really splendid suggestion.