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Attacks on Fire Service personnel in Scotland have fallen by 35 per cent in the last year, according to provisional figures published this week by the country’s chief statistician.

In 2011/12, there were 112 incidents recorded where attacks occurred, compared with 172 in the previous 12 months, and 179 two years ago. The number of workers injured in attacks at incidents fell even more sharply – from 14 in 2010/11 to just 1 in 2011/12.

The most common types of attacks at incidents in the last year were ‘objects thrown at fire-fighters and/or appliances’, followed by ‘verbal abuse’.

John Duffy, the Fire Brigades Union’s Scottish secretary, welcomed the fall in the number of incidents but cautioned that the statistics may reflect gross under-reporting, as a lot of incidents, such as people throwing stones at fire-fighters, have become “almost culturally acceptable”.

David Dalziel, chair of the Chief Fire Officers Association Scotland, agreed that the statistics should be treated with a degree of caution. However, he insisted that there is a strong reporting culture among fire services in Scotland and stressed that ‘over-reporting’ can also skew the figures – noting, for example, that if a brick is thrown at a fire engine and injures five fire-fighters, the incident-recording protocol is to count this as five incidents rather than one.

“There is probably a link between violence and poverty and social deprivation,” added Duffy. Asked what might be behind the downward trend in fire-fighter attacks, he cited the work the Service is undertaking with other agencies to encourage fire-fighters to engage more closely with their local communities on a regular basis, suggesting that such an approach can “sometimes take the flashpoint away”.

But he also warned: “The Fire Service, in isolation, is never going to be able to tackle all the social ills of the country.”

Close links with local communities were also cited as positive factors by Dalziel, who added that there is a big emphasis in Scotland on using retained-duty (on-call) fire-fighters, who are well-known in their communities.

Stressing that no single intervention has led to the reduction in assaults on staff, he summarised: “It’s down to a lot of proactive stuff, working in partnerships, breaking down social barriers, and, perhaps, there is less social tension in Scotland [than in England].”

The Fire and Rescue Services Statistics, Scotland 2011/12 can be accessed at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice