Gloucestershire fire and rescue service has published findings of an independent review into allegations of racism and bullying in the service between 1991 and 2018.
After speaking to current and previous staff members and analysing more than 4,500 documents, the review found the service had been institutionally racist, detailing cases of racist harassment, discrimination, and bullying.
The report made 14 recommendations and concluded that there is more work to be done. Chief fire officer Mark Preece issued an apology on behalf of the service.
In the same month, the inspectorate concluded that Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has not made enough progress on equality, diversity and inclusion, and that firefighters lack confidence in complaints processes. Despite commissioning an independent review into its culture, the service has failed to progress any of its recommendations.
Andrew Scattergood, FBU executive council member for the West Midlands, called for the fire authority to step in, saying that “those at the very top of the service are responsible for perpetuating and failing to tackle misogyny; as part of the problem, they cannot be the solution”.
