Good ole ambulance service - not only do we endure 999 *plop calls (*'non emergency' for all you non ploppers) from members of the public (who we're supposed to pressume are all thick and "don't know any better" than to call 999 for cutting their lip on a Quaver etc etc etc) but the Police have been using us for a long time to fill in where they are unable to. I could be really sarcastic and say it may be due to the fact that they send unmpteen rescources to a detail, but I shan't... Your quite right Tom in that the Police manilpulate it/phrase it in such a way that it is essential that an ambulance be in attendance. Ethically it's wrong, morally it's wrong and professionally it's all wrong. More pressure exerted on the ambulance service to meet another target (which isn't ours to meet), more pressures on the crews ..... But let's face it, who exactly are the tw*ts here - the Police for being so frickin manipulative and cheeky or the ambulance service for being so lame for accepting and allowing this crap to continue?