It's coming up to 1am; and there has been another stabbing, a 'glassing', and two head injuries caused by blunt weaponry.

For the first time in ages I've put my stab vest on. It's a not so nice way to realise that I've put on a bit of weight since the last time I wore it.

We were sent to the 'glassing', but were informed that the assailants were still on the scene so we decided to wait for the police to turn up and make sure that we wouldn't get to be another stabbing...

...Unfortunately it was all for naught as a passing ambulance got flagged down by the victims friends. So there we were, hiding down the end of the road listening to the crew giving details of their 'running call'.

Luckily the assailants had disappeared.

We meanwhile were sent to a man who was so drunk he couldn't stand up. He didn't want to come with us, but it's too cold to leave the drunk and incapable 'patient' in the street to freeze to death. So we dragged him up and went to go to hospital.

The problem I had was that this incredibly drunk man kept pawing at me, then tried grabbing my arse while leering at me.

My crewmate found it all incredibly amusing.

It was at the hospital I discovered one of the weaknesses of the stab vests we are given as part of our uniform. In his drunken flailing around he managed to strike me in the testicles - needless to say I dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes gasping like a fish.

Thankfully it was 'just' a glancing blow; so it only took half an hour for the pain to go. The patient was thrown out of the hospital by the security staff.

Another normal night in Newham.

Unfortunately.