Violence against public sector workers in Stirling on rise as more than 2,500 incidents reported

The number of incidents involving staff employed by Stirling Council rose by over 30 per cent.

More than 2,500 incidents of aggression and violence towards public sector staff operating in the region in just a year have been recorded in a new report.

The shocking findings are laid out in the ‘Violence at Work’ report from Unison Scotland, with the document including incidences of physical abuse towards Stirling Council and NHS Forth Valley staff, as well as verbal abuse, intimidation and witnessing violent acts at work.

The report reveals a 31 per cent rise in the number of aggressive incidents against Stirling Council staff for the 12 months to March 31, 2024 – with 954 such incidents taking place in that period.

According to detailed breakdown data acquired by the Observer, the vast majority of these incidents against council employees are reported in the education sector, with 313 incidents involving support for learning assistants and another 247 involving teachers.

It comes a week after we revealed that more than 400 injuries were reported among teaching staff due to violence in Stirling’s classrooms within just six months.

The new Unison figures also show that a total of 16 ‘technical services and work planning’ staff in the housing department also faced violence and aggression, alongside nine enforcement officers.

The figures from the council, acquired courtesy of a Freedom of Information request by the union, also show the bulk of the reported incidents – 679 – were physical assaults, with 171 labelled as ‘shock/fright/violence/aggression’.

Meanwhile, 104 of the recorded figures were reported as ‘verbal abuse’.

In the healthcare sector, the 2024 stats revealing a total of 1,608 violent or aggressive incidents in the same year-long period.

Unison Scotland health and safety committee chair Scott Donohoe said: “These figures are appalling. No one should be assaulted at work.

“Staff are just trying to provide a service. This is completely unacceptable.

“Workers say frustrations with delays or the fact a service is no longer available are being taken out on those working face-to-face with the public.

“There is a clear link between cuts to council services and an increase in violence to local authority staff.

“In the NHS, the workforce crisis is part of the cause too.

“Employers and the Scottish government must take speedy and strong action to ensure all staff are safe at work.

“That must start with ensuring all incidents are recorded and properly followed up.”

Earlier this month, councillors pledged to work on a cross-party basis alongside education chiefs and unions to tackle the issue of violence in classrooms, labelled by Dunblane and Bridge of Allan councillor Thomas Heald as “deeply worrying”.

Councillor Heald said: “Our teachers are already under huge pressure with the demands facing them growing exponentially, particularly with the rise in additional support and wellbeing needs in schools.

“Every teacher, or support worker, has a right to be able to do their job without fear of harm.”

On the Unison report, a Stirling Council spokesman said: “We take all attacks on our staff extremely seriously and comprehensive wellbeing support is in place for those who are subject to, or witness, any such incidents.

“We offer reassurance and encouragement to staff in terms of reporting incidents and our officers will also be working with Unison to adopt their Violence at Work Charter.

“Our processes have evolved and are more robust than ever which, in part, explains the rise in numbers.

“If appropriate, we do not hesitate to involve the police and other relevant authorities.”

An NHS Forth Valley spokeswoman added: “We take the safety of our staff very seriously and provide training and support on how to manage potentially violent situations involving patients, visitors or members of the public as part of wider measures to help reduce all forms of violence and aggression.

“We also encourage staff to report all incidents involving violent or aggressive behaviour so these can be investigated and referred to police, where appropriate.”

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