Campaign to combat rise in council worker abuse

Councillor Mel Jacob says all workers deserve to be treated with kindness and respect

A council has announced a new campaign to raise awareness of the increasing amount of abuse directed at its staff and contractors.

Wiltshire Council's No Excuse for Abuse campaign was launched in response to 228 instances of verbal and physical abuse recorded against council workers in the past year.

These included road contractors being shot with a BB gun in Salisbury and a parking officer being pushed to the ground.

Councillor Mel Jacob, cabinet member for corporate services, said "abuse of any kind" was "never acceptable" and the council was proud of its teams and was "committed to ensuring they can do their jobs safely".

Ms Jacob added council "staff and contractors work hard every day to support our communities"

"They deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. These are people who live and work in Wiltshire, who work hard and do their best to help our communities and make our county a great place to live.

"Together, we can create a more respectful and supportive community for everyone," she added.

Frontline and office staff

The council says it is hoping to get the message out through social media and also in person at its libraries and hubs.

The council's interim corporate director for place, Samantha Howell, said the county-wide approach was justified.

"We're taking a one council approach to ensure that everyone across the county understands that we will take any abuse seriously and we will support staff to ensure that this is not tolerated moving forward."

She added abuse affected not just frontline services, such as social workers and teachers, but also office staff, such as the council's customer services team, who tried to "support residents with day to day activities".

As part of the campaign, the council is encouraging people to report incidents, believing that some cases may go unreported.