Shocking allegations against a North East fire service need “urgent investigation”, a police boss says.
Kim McGuinness, the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, says that revelations in an ITV News report on Thursday “cannot be ignored” after it emerged that the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service had given a promotion to a firefighter who was known to be under a police investigation for rape. Further accusations have also been made against the service by a former female firefighter who claimed she had been bullied and sexually harassed – including having her kit tampered with and being left alone in a fire.
Ms McGuinness, who is a member of the Tyne and Wear Fire Authority, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This media report raises several serious issues which cannot be ignored. The allegations made are concerning and require urgent investigation.
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“Across all professions, allegations of sexism, misogyny, discrimination and inappropriate or criminal behaviour must be taken very seriously, and processes and procedures need to reflect the severity of the complaints. All victims should be listened to, and I am glad an independent report commissioned by the Fire Authority is underway.
“I will be asking that the findings of this are expedited and brought to the authority to be acted upon as quickly as possible. Appropriate support to speak out must be embedded into every organisation and any inappropriate, unwelcome behaviours need rooting out – there is no place for them in the fire service, or any other place of work.”
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) also said on Friday that it was “deeply concerned”.
Tyne and Wear’s chief fire officer, Chris Lowther, has admitted that he was aware of the rape allegation made against the staff member in line for the promotion and did not prevent them getting the new management job. In a statement issued on Thursday night, he said: “I was spoken to by police as a potential witness in the case and advised not to share any further details of the case. The staff member did not face any further police action.
“The promotion process had also been completed prior to the allegation being made but I can confirm the promotion was confirmed following the alleged incident. It would have been highly unusual for me to intervene in that process, particularly following the advice I had received from police, but I recognise some members of the public may have expected me to.
“In recent days I have been reflecting on that decision, and I will continue to deliberate as to whether I could have acted differently. What I know in my heart is that every decision I made, I felt I did in the best interest of the Service, and in line with the procedures we had in place.
“Those procedures are under review. However, if any decision I made has damaged that trust, or added to the trauma of a victim of sexual assault, then I whole-heartedly apologise.”
He said that the allegations made regarding the treatment of the female firefighter were “not ones I recognise as being commonplace in Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service”, but detailed behaviours that are “abhorrent and have no place in our organisation”.
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