Call for mandatory jail sentences for anyone who attacks firefighters

Firefighters have faced a number of attacks while on duty in recent years, including a spate of incidents over the border from South Tyneside in Sunderland which has seen crews now not attending blazes in certain areas without a police escort.

Now bosses are now demanding anyone found guilty of crimes targeting responders should be facing a prison sentence.

“It is totally unacceptable that your firefighters are being attacked on the street and that fires are being set deliberately to get the firefighters in attendance,” said Chris Lowther, chief fire officer at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.

“My belief is that sentencing powers are not sufficient for attacks on emergency service workers.

“Education is a massive part of this, but there also has to be a deterrent, which I think should be a mandatory jail term for any proven attacks of emergency service workers.”

Lowther was speaking at a meeting of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority, which was held by videolink and broadcast via YouTube.

Members of the panel, which oversees the work of firefighters in the area, backed the call for tougher punishments, following three attacks on firefighters in less than a week.

In one, in Hendon, Sunderland, crews were pelted with stones by children as young as 10 while trying to extinguish a fire which had been started deliberately.

The chief fire officer was also critical of previous responses to assaults on emergency services workers, citing an example from 2017 in which a firefighter had his nose broken after being punched in the face while tackling a blaze.

The man responsible was handed a fine.

Crews in Tyne and Wear were issued with body cams in 2019 in response to attacks.

Lowther added: “We’re relying on politicians and all upstanding members of society to make sure people understand this is unacceptable.

“This will cost lives if it continues and I don’t want to have to watch a firefighter’s family being told they have been seriously injured while putting out a fire at work.”

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

You can subscribe to this website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Simply click ‘Subscribe’ in the menu. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here: https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/.

Thank you.