Fire service boss admits she's never spoken to victims of harassment at her service
Councillor Rebecca Knox was quizzed by MPs after ITV News' UK Editor Paul Brand revealed shocking details of harassment at the service
The Chair of the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Authority has told MPs she hasn't spoken to victims of misogyny and harassment at her service, despite ITV News revealing firefighters at the service photographed dead women and shared the images on WhatsApp groups.
Speaking for the first time since ITV News' UK Editor Paul Brand revealed shocking details of harassment at the service, Councillor Rebecca Knox was asked by MPs on the Home Affairs Committee if she has spoken to any of the female victims.
"No I have not spoken to directly [to them]", she said.
When asked by chair of the committee, Dame Diana Johnson, if she wishes she had spoken to victims, Ms Knox said: "I'm there, I'm visible, anyone can come and speak to me within the service but it wouldn't have been appropriate for me to go and seek out individuals."
Ms Johnson responded: "I find that incredible that you have a role of governance over an organisation and you didn't think you should speak to women who had been abused by the organisation."
Watch the heated exchange between committee chair Dame Diana Johnson and Councillor Rebecca Knox here:
Ms Knox stood by the Chief Fire Officer last year when he said the service didn't "have a problem with women", despite an investigation by ITV News revealing sexual harassment and abuse of women at the service.
A damning report in November found that Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service has "an underlying culture of misogyny and sexism".
The Dorset and Wiltshire Chair admitted she felt responsible for the scandal at her service.
"I personally feel responsible, because I deeply care about the fire service", she said.
Ms Knox stood by her previous statement that the service does not have a problem with women: "We absolutely do not have a problem with employing women," she said.
She insisted "we positively encourage the employment of women", but acknowledged "there are issues women face in the service".
Ms Johnson told Ms Knox she was "forced to act" on the allegations "because of the exposure in the media", but Ms Knox refused to accept that was the case.
"Isn't it the case you're not sorry for what happened but you're sorry you got caught?", Labour MP Carolyn Harris asks Ms Knox.
ITV News' Paul Brand attended the committee alongside two women featured in his investigations - Linda Francois, the mother of a young London firefighter who took his own life after racist bullying at work, and Shirley, a cleaner from South Wales Fire Service who was sexually harassed for a decade.
The committee of MPs have been grilling bosses of a number of different fire services, after a series of ITV News investigations.
Fire Minister Chris Philp is also giving evidence to the committee.
ITV News also revealed claims of harassment and abuse at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, which led to the Welsh government announced the unprecedented step of taking direct control of the service.
An independent culture review of London Fire Brigade (LFB), also found “dangerous levels of ingrained prejudice against women”, while colleagues from minority backgrounds are “frequently the target of racist abuse”.
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