Minister promises action on staff abuse

Finance & Public Services Minster Andy Kerr tells SiU about the Scottish Executive's pledge to tackle abuse of public service workers

Whether you work in the emergency services, the Health services, local government or other sectors serving the public it is likely that you will have encountered some form of verbal or physical abuse.

These attacks are completely unacceptable, and the Scottish Executive and the STUC have joined forces with employers organisations and other bodies to tackle this atmosphere of aggression and violence.

Measures include increased use of CCTV, increased training and reporting procedures as well as awareness campaigns to underline the message that abuse of public service workers is totally unacceptable.

The public awareness campaign launched in September will highlight the prevalence of verbal and physical violence against public service workers, as well as the unacceptability of such behaviour in our society and encourage victims to report any abuse they encounter.

The Executive is also taking forward the Emergency Workers Bill which will give other emergency workers similar statutory protection to the police by making it a specific offence to assault, obstruct or hinder an emergency worker, or anyone helping an emergency worker.

In addition, the Lord Advocate has issued guidance to make sure the courts deal with assaults on workers effectively, meaning that assaults on workers will be taken into account in deciding whether to prosecute.

Our message is clear: attacks on public sector workers will not be tolerated; staff in these areas provide a vital service to the people of Scotland and should be able to go about their work without fear. The Scottish Executive is doing all it can to ensure this becomes a reality.

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