Attacks On Firefighters Are Not New Warns Fire Brigades Union

3 November 2018, 17:34

The Fire Brigades Union warns that attacks on firefighters are not a new phenomenon, as new figures reveal a rise in reported incidents.

The general secretary at the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said that a number of people had been injured in incidents which vary between verbal abuse and physical attacks.

Matt Wrack also said that "there's probably underreporting" of incidents as well, and that the real number could be much higher.

Speaking to Ian Payne, he said: "We started to look at this more than a decade ago in 2004.

"We suspect there's probably underreporting because firefighters are fairly robust people and would tend not to report things that are quite minor."

When asked about the reason for the rise, Mr Wrack said: "I think we need to do a bit more digging to find the reason.

"It may be the reporting mechanisms, it may be real increases. But this will alert people, fire services, government, and local communities that we need to try and address it.

"I'm sure the vast majority of people will be horrified at this sort of thing happening."