Bodycams helping bring justice to those committing 'absolutely deplorable' attacks on Hartlepool's fire brigade

From April to October this year Cleveland Fire Brigade bosses reported they recorded 29 incidents of violence to staff, the same amount as during the period last year.

This includes three incidents in Hartlepool, down from five last year, six in Middlesbrough, a reduction from 14 in 2019, and seven in Stockton, which remained the same.

The only area which saw an increase in incidents was Redcar and Cleveland, which saw a rise from 3 to 13.

Of the 29 incidents which occurred between April and October, 10 included objects being thrown at firefighters and appliances and five included both physical and verbal abuse.

There were also a further two reports of physical abuse and 12 of verbal abuse to staff during the period.

Councillors on Cleveland Fire Authority Audit and Governance Committee hit out at the attacks and called on police to support firefighters impacted.

Cllr Ashley Waters, who represents Middlesbrough Council on the authority, praised the ‘fantastic’ fire brigade but questioned whether Cleveland Police are doing enough following the ‘deplorable’ attacks.

He said: “Are we able to hold Cleveland Police to account in terms of showing what absolutely fantastic work we do as a brigade and just basically have some accountability.

“Can we make sure where these attacks are happening on our officers, which are absolutely deplorable, are they holding them to account, are they investigating, are they prosecuting these people, that’s what I’d like to see going forward.”

Carl Boasman, assistant chief fire officer at Cleveland Fire Brigade, said they are seeing good support from police, and have also seen ‘huge benefits’ from the use of body-worn cameras.

He said: “We are seeing a good level of support from Cleveland Police in pursuing offenders.

“The investment the authority has made in terms of body-worn cameras for staff has proved to be very, very useful and has enabled Cleveland Police to identify a number of offenders.

“In the last six months we’ve had a number of people who have been charged and pursued and investigated and interviewed as a result of our staff being subject to violence.”

Cleveland Fire Brigade began trialling body-worn cameras in 2018 before making them available to all personnel who want to wear them last year.

Officers noted Cleveland Fire Brigade’s rate of violence to staff has increased by 10% over the last five years, to 75 incidents per 1,000 members of staff.

They added in comparison the national average, which has increased by 44% in recent years, is around 20 incidents per 1,000 members of staff.

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on Pools and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.