Attacks on fire crews rise

摘要

The Number of attacks on fire crews in England and Wales increased by 15% last year to over 1,500, according to Fire Service figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.rnThe Fire Brigades Union says the figures are four times higher than the official figures released by the Government. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) claims that attacks have fallen by 68% in the last year from 1,300 in 2005/06 to only 400 in 2006/07.rnFire crews report being threatened, intimidated and abused, and being pelted with bricks, bottles and stones as they fight fires. Other incidents include ambushes, booby traps and beingrnattacked with sticks, knives and, in one case, a petrol bomb.rnIn some areas, abuse, threats and attacks are so frequent, says the union, they are no longer reported. One fire authority, Tyne and Wear, has distributed 'spit kits' to fire crews to collect DNA from those abusing them.