Hartlepool Borough Council has reaffirmed its commitment to clampdown on violence and abuse towards employees by launching a new Staff Safety Policy.
The policy is part of the authority’s on-going ‘Respect: Everyone Deserves It’ campaign, which was launched in 2020.
To mark the launch of the new policy, Leader of Hartlepool Council, Councillor Shane Moore and Managing Director of the authority, Denise McGuckin jointly signed a declaration setting out the commitment to staff safety.
Commenting, Councillor Moore said:
“We want to send out a message that the safety of council staff is paramount and that violence, actual or threatened, aggression, harassment, abuse and intimidation, including where this occurs online, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
Ms McGuckin added:
“When carrying out their duties, staff will deal with people who feel angry, anxious or not in control of important matters in their lives. The potential for abuse, intimidation or actual assault can exist in such situations. Minimising the risk to our staff is a key priority.
“As a council, good customer service is at the heart of everything we do and in return all we ask is that our staff are treated with dignity and respect. Sadly, that is not always the case.
“We want people who abuse our staff to be in no doubt that we will take strong action against them, including prosecution.”
In the event of an incident, a range of action is open to the council, including:
- Restricting or removing access to council buildings and services.
- Issuing a community protection warning.
- Applying for a civil injunction or criminal behaviour order.
- Reporting the incident to the police and seeking legal action.
The Staff Safety Policy also applies to councillors, council volunteers, agency staff and those working on the authority's behalf.
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