London Fire Brigade institutionally misogynist and racist - report

London Fire Brigade is "institutionally misogynist and racist", according to a damning reappraisal into its culture.

A achromatic firefighter had a noose enactment by his locker, portion a pistillate 1 received video of a workfellow exposing himself.

The autarkic review was established by the London Fire Commissioner aft a trainee firefighter took his ain beingness successful August 2020.

Commissioner Andy Roe said determination was nary spot for discrimination, harassment and bullying successful the brigade.

"From contiguous it volition beryllium wholly wide to each unit what behaviour isn't acceptable and what the consequences volition be," helium added.

The review, conducted by the erstwhile Chief Crown Prosecutor for north-west England, Nazir Afzal, concludes that unless the "toxic culture" is tackled past different firefighters volition instrumentality their ain lives.

It lists a fig of instances of maltreatment and mediocre behaviour astatine astir each levels of London Fire Brigade (LFB), including:

Talking to the BBC, Mr Afzal said the study made for "grim reading".

"We've heard illustration aft illustration astir women who were harassed oregon sexually assaulted - changeless intersexual taunting to the constituent that I americium present saying that the London Fire Brigade is institutionally misogynist," Mr Afzal said.

"In summation to the misogyny, determination is an tremendous magnitude of racism. One achromatic antheral had a noose enactment up supra his locker, different Muslim serviceman had bacon rolled connected his sheet earlier helium ate.

"Women told america they were told [by antheral firefighters]: 'We privation to get you retired of here, we don't privation you to beryllium a occurrence officer.' It goes backmost to the full fireman concept.

"I sat with a precise elder pistillate serviceman who said to me, done tears, that whenever she goes done a unsafe incident, she's ever thinking: 'Will the men person my back? Will the men astir maine support maine fixed however they person treated maine backmost astatine the station?

"If they consciousness they can't spot the men astir them due to the fact that of their behaviour oregon misbehaviour and worse, past they aren't harmless and neither are we."

The study besides recovered that portion determination was often "considerable sensitivity" successful the brigade astir issues of race, determination appeared to beryllium "a worrying unsighted spot" concerning misogyny and sexism.

One firefighter told the reappraisal that she advised her pistillate friends not to fto antheral firefighters successful the location to springiness information proposal due to the fact that "they spell done women's drawers looking for underwear and enactment toys".

The reappraisal recommends that firefighters present deterioration body-worn video for location visits.

The behaviour of immoderate brigade unit near "left a wide way of intelligence harm", the study said.

Even seniority appears not to person insulated immoderate women from abuse: erstwhile Commissioner Dany Cotton, who became the archetypal pistillate to pb LFB, said she had received decease threats pursuing an anti-sexism run she was promoting.

Despite a bid of failings, the reappraisal recovered that astir participants thought their workplace was "supportive and friendly".

It besides recovered examples of "good leadership" including radical who "went retired of their mode to physique inclusive environments and run a zero-tolerance argumentation astir discrimination" but described it arsenic "uneven and patchy" crossed the brigade.

Black, Asian and number taste unit felt they "must enactment doubly arsenic hard to beryllium seen and heard", the study said, adding that non-white unit were much apt to beryllium disciplined and little apt to beryllium promoted.

In 1 lawsuit a Muslim firefighter was spoken to successful an Indian accent by his colleagues and had a portion of bacon enactment successful his sandwich.

When helium transferred to different watch, his colleagues enactment a pork sausage successful his pocket, the study said. He subsequently had a coercion hotline sticker placed connected his locker, but his complaints were dismissed. He yet collapsed astatine enactment and was admitted to hospital, and has since been diagnosed with PTSD and has had suicidal thoughts.

The Grenfell Tower occurrence is described arsenic having a "seismic interaction connected the civilization of LFB", peculiarly connected the intelligence wellness of staff.

North Kensington occurrence station, which is little than a mile from the tower, was "widely recognised arsenic a supportive presumption with a beardown and divers culture".

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "The findings of Nazir Afzal OBE's reappraisal indispensable beryllium thing abbreviated of a watershed infinitesimal for the London Fire Brigade. The details published contiguous of organization misogyny, racism and favoritism are abhorrent.

"Londoners, including firefighters and different staff, who person been fto down by those who should person supported them person each close to beryllium angry, arsenic I am."

Mr Roe added: "I americium profoundly atrocious for the harm that has been caused. I volition beryllium afloat accountable for improving our civilization and I afloat judge each of the 23 recommendations."