Data collected by Legal Expert has revealed the extent of violence against firefighters in London as the London Fire Brigade (LFB) reported over 100 counts of aggression during operations–with more than a year's worth of work missed by injured firefighters.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, the LFB shared details of 104 violent acts between January 2019 and September 2024.

These figures, according to London Daily News, show that the service receives close to one report of an attack every three days, with more than five times more incidents in the first ten months of 2024 than in the entirety of 2019.

From five incidents in 2019, there were 13 in 2020, dropping to seven the year after.

There were 17 attacks in 2022, rising to 35 in 2023. This included three months–January, July and August–where there were more assaults than in the whole of 2019.

Accounting only for the period of January-October, there were 27 incidents in 2024, with at least one attack recorded in every month for the first time in the entire six-year period.

July was the worst month for attacks, with 15 incidents reported.

This was followed by November, with 13 (though only accounting  for 2019-2023) and January, with 12. Only one March attack was recorded across the six calendar years.

There were more attacks in Hackney than in any other borough, according to the LFS figures. Firefighters were subjected to 12 assaults, with Camden and Croydon  being regular sites of violence, with 11 reported attacks.

Kingston upon Thames and Newham had the fewest, with one apiece, but the data confirmed that firefighters have faced assault and abuse all across the city.

London Daily News reported that: "Statistics published by the Home Office indicate that there were 96 injuries suffered from attacks during operational incidents in 2023/24.

"Not only was this a rise of more than 25% on the year before, but it was the highest figure recorded in any of the past 15 years, and a 284% increase on the 25 cases noted in 2014/15."