Two juvenile males have been arrested after a BB gun was fired at two fire engines and their crews.
Police were called by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) at around 23:35 hours on 27th October to a report of a disturbance outside Little Hulton Library on Longshaw Drive, Worsley, Salford.
Officers attended, and enquiries established that a group of youths had fired a BB gun at firefighters as they attempted to extinguish multiple fires in wheelie bins in the area.
Police later located two group members, aged 16 and 14, and recovered the offending weapon.
They were arrested on suspicion of arson and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and remain in custody for questioning.
Chief Inspector Michael Parker, of GMP’s Salford division, said:
“Attacks on members of our emergency services will not be tolerated and anyone that does this will face the full force of the law.
“In addition, I want the public to know that we are doing all we can to keep the streets safe during the Halloween and bonfire period with extra dedicated patrols addressing similar matters of anti-social behaviour across Salford.
“Anyone with information should contact police online, if able, or via 101 quoting incident 3722 of 27/10/2021.
“Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
GMFRS Head of Prevention Paul Duggan said:
“Our firefighters work exceptionally hard all year round but as we approach one of our busiest times of the year over Halloween and Bonfire Night it is completely unacceptable for crews to come under attack when responding to incidents.
“Thankfully no one was seriously injured but an attack like this could have caused firefighters or fire engines to be out of action and unable to respond to an incident where someone’s life is at risk.
“I’d ask everyone to think twice about their actions.
“Our blue light workers put their lives on the line every single day to keep you and your families safe and they have their own families to go home to at the end of their shift.
“They already have a challenging job, please don’t add to this by behaving inconsiderately.
“As these arrests show, action will be taken against people who put our firefighters in danger and I want to thank GMP for their swift response to this incident.
“No firefighter, police officer or paramedic should be subject to an attack for doing their job and keeping the people of Greater Manchester safe.”
Got a story, guest blog, picture or video? Email our team: contact@emergency-services.news
CLICK HERE to check out our most popular videos and social media groups and to join our FREE newsletter.
Recommended video:
Before you go...
We need your help. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories & videos which are free from the negative bias which is often directed at the emergency services & NHS by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' back in 2018 was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services & NHS which seemed only ever to highlight negative aspects of the job.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of you, our readers.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
