Council asks for kindness after attacks on staff

The council urged people to "be kind" to its staff

A local authority has urged residents dealing with its staff to be kind after a spate of verbal and physical attacks.

Bradford Council staff have been harassed, verbally abused and assaulted in recent incidents, the authority said.

The abuse was affecting both uniformed staff and those working in administrative and customer service roles, a spokesperson added.

A senior councillor said "offensive, threatening or violent behaviour will not be tolerated".

The council said people shouting abuse from vehicles could be fined up to £1,000 for their actions under public space protection order (PSPO) legislation.

The order covers shouting, swearing at, abusing, threatening or intimidating behaviour or using sexual language or making suggestive sexualised comments.

The council said that threats and assaults would be referred to the police.

Councillor Kamran Hussain, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and community safety, said: "This is really about treating everyone with respect and recognising that everyone is human and just trying to do their jobs.

"Offensive, threatening or violent behaviour will not be tolerated."

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