Newcastle area had 121 attacks on their fire crews in 2022 - more than double from 2021

Newcastle in the UK is experiencing a large uptick of attacks on their firefighters.  According to Tyne and Wear's chief fire officer Chris Lowther, the number of incidents went from 63 attacks in 2021 to 121 in 2022. 

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service's (TWFRS) chief fire officer Chris Lowther said their fire crews were barricaded and attacked by gasoline bombs in West Denton, Newcastle, as late as the beginning of 2023. 

According to a BBC article, Mr Lowther said it was one of the worst attacks he had known in his 26-year career.

In a tweet, he said the firefighters, who had attended the call-out early on the evening of Saturday January 14 , had been "barricaded in an area where a car was deliberately set on fire and had petrol bombs thrown at them".

"This escalation can't go unanswered," he said.

"I know this is a small minority of people who are responsible for these attacks, but the impact they have affects us all and does put lives at risk", Chris Lowther said. 

Photo Credit: Tyne and Wear's chief fire officer Chris Lowther. Photo by the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.