Stephen Mold, the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for Northamptonshire has been reported as using sexist language in a meeting with firefighters in relation to the county's new Chief Fire Officer, Nikki Watson. He has not denied that he used this language, and referred himself to the fire service's Monitoring Officer.
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said:
“Women working in the fire and rescue service have the right to the respect of their colleagues at every level. There can be no tolerance for misogyny and sexism.
“Firefighters lost faith in Stephen Mold long ago, but if he has used this language, his position is now even more untenable. We cannot hope to make progress on equalities if those at the top of the service can make remarks of this sort without consequences.
“The Fire Brigades Union will always fight discrimination, and we will make the case for a fire and rescue service that is in the hands of democratically run Fire Authorities. The police and crime commissioner model is broken and discredited.”
