Murdo has expressed his alarm at the “appalling” number of verbal and physical assaults on Perth and Kinross Council staff over almost four years.
He was reacting to data for assaults on Perth and Kinross Council staff, which was supplied to the Scottish Conservatives through Freedom of Information, which reveal that a staggering total of 2,364 physical assaults were committed on local authority employees between January 1, 2022, to September 30, 2025.
The council’s education department bore the brunt of these attacks with 943 physical assaults in 2022; 913 in 2023; 384 in 2024 and one in 2025. However, it is also notable that the total number of verbal assaults on Perth and Kinross Council staff during this timeframe came to 1,004.
Commenting, Murdo said: “The extremely high number of physical assaults on Perth and Kinross Council staff is utterly appalling. I am very concerned to hear that there were 2,364 physical assaults in just four years – this total really beggars’ belief.
“Local authority frontline staff should not be subjected to any physical or verbal assault. They are carrying out their job and trying to help the public. They don’t deserve to be treated in this way.
“I’m sure there will many local residents who will share my disgust on hearing of these assaults on council staff. It is truly shocking behaviour.”
Murdo continued: “What I find even more shocking is that these figures show that council staff across a host of departments, were subjected to physical and verbal assault, ranging from staff working in Children, Families and Justice services to Education to Environment services.
“The data also reveals just how many people feel they can hand out physical or verbal assaults on council staff, which is very alarming indeed. There can be no place for this at all.”
