Glasgow Street Aid appeals for help after reception window vandalised

A person came to the charity's city centre hub asking for medical help when things became violent

Author: Alice FaulknerPublished 13th Aug 2024

A charity offering medical relief in Glasgow is appealing for donations, after facing criminal damage at its hub in the city centre.

The reception window at Glasgow Street Aid's premises on Union Street was smashed after a member of the public came asking for medical attention.

The person allegedly became aggressive and now the centre cannot reopen to the public until the window is fixed.

The charity says it continued to provide medical assistance to the individual despite the attack.

It is unclear whether anyone was injured or arrested during the incident.

Writing on social media, the charity said: "This weekend, a member of the public who self-presented to our medical centre in need of medical assistance became aggressive and caused criminal damage to our reception window.

"We are unable to open our medical centre to patients until this is fixed.

"A massive thank you to our medical centre volunteers who handled this situation with professionalism and continued to provide medical assistance to the individual and thank you to Police Scotland Greater Glasgow for responding to this in a timely and professional manner"

John Barclay heads up Glasgow Street Aid and says they need help replacing the glass before they can re-open.

He told Clyde 1 News: "Volunteers tried to remain professional and calm and it escalated to the male banging and repeatedly banging on the window.

"He got frustrated and ripped the window open, which has shattered the entire window.

"The recent fundraiser for our body cameras have also supported us, because there's clear footage and audio of the individual."

The charity describes itself as a "pre-hospital medical and welfare" organisation, helping tackle the pressures on both the ambulance service and A&E departments.

It does so by providing on-scene care in the city centre of Glasgow helping people get the right care from the right place.

The medical street team volunteers include first aiders, first responders (FREC 3 and FREC 4), ambulance technicians, registered nurses, paramedics, doctors, and students.

Their teams patrol the city centre streets of Glasgow on foot and by ambulance, and operate the centre on Union Street.

Volunteers deal with everything from minor injuries, stabbings and mental health call outs.

Police Scotland said “Around 1am on Sunday, 11 August, 2024, we were called to a report of a man causing a disturbance within a premises in Union Street, Glasgow.

“Officers attended and a 30-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with a breach of the peace offence and will be the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal.”

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