Given speculation about the use of ambulance resources linked to migrant boat landings in the Gosport area, the following is clarification of the resources provided and the reasons for doing so.
We are not providing general medical support for treatment or assessment of migrants on arrival.
All the resources provided on 4 October were part of established arrangements for supporting Police and other partners managing public protests and to ensure appropriate emergency response capabilities are on hand should any injuries arise because of public disorder. If there was no indication that public protest was expected, we would not have positioned resources in support.
The Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) is a dedicated service of crews with additional training to work in, and extract patients from, hazardous environments. It is part of a nation-wide service that responds to incidents across ambulance service boundaries if and when required. Working in support of the police is a standard part of the HART remit.
HART crews are a dedicated resource over and above our deployment of ambulances responding to routine 999 calls. The service is on-call 24/7 but only responds to relevant incidents.
Resources provided on 4 October 2026
| Vehicle type | Purpose and crew |
| 1x Dual Crewed Ambulance | Standard emergency ambulance with paramedic crew and patient conveyance capacity. Able to treat patients on scene in secure non-hazardous area and convey to hospital. |
| 3x HART – Incident Response Vehicle | Specialist response vehicle with paramedic crew with additional training in treating and removing patients from hazardous environments.
Vehicles carry additional equipment to support staff, they do not have patient conveyance capability. HART crews transfer appropriate patients to a DCA crew for conveyance if needed. |
| 1x Resilience support vehicle | Carries additional equipment required to support operations. Does not provide patient conveyance capability. |
| 1x Officer car | Operational manager supporting liaison with Police and other partners and welfare of crews deployed. No patient treatment or conveyance capability. |
Vehicles and crews were positioned in secure areas behind the police cordon to ensure the safety and security of both staff and equipment.
Our priority remains ensuring the safety of the public, emergency service personnel and all those involved in any incident requiring a coordinated multi-agency response.