Inspectors have urged bosses to carry out background checks on every firefighter, with those who fail being sacked, after long-awaited findings shone a light” on deeply troubling” behaviour in the emergency service which they fear could be the tip of the iceberg”.
Stark examples of abject conduct were revealed by His Majesty’s inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services yesterday. These include:
• A senior officer accused of calling a black colleague the N word dismissing it as simply having a laugh”.
• A firefighter reporting a superior for making a racist comment, only to find his account dismissed because the alleged offender wouldn’t behave in such a way”. The senior officer in question then threatened to make his life hell”.
• Two male firefighters laughingly telling a female colleague they were going to rape her”, before simulating it with her.
• Some staff being reluctant to speak up after being told it would be career suicide” to do so.
This story is from the March 31, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the March 31, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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