Lewisham's libraries have seen a significant rise in reported health and safety incidents over the past year, with a concerning increase in verbal and threatening behaviour. Data presented to the Lewisham Health and Safety Committee reveals that total incidents in the council's Hub Libraries increased from 49 to 54 between October 2023 and September 2025.
The primary drivers for this surge were a 24% rise in verbal and threatening abuse, which now constitutes 57.4% of all library incidents, and a dramatic 156% increase in near misses. These near misses, which rose from 18 to 46, are often indicative of anti-social behaviour that has been defused before escalating into more serious incidents. The report notes that the majority of these near misses were related to verbal/threatening behaviour and hazards concerning conditions, practices, environment, or security.
Specific examples of abuse reported include racial abuse, sexual abuse, and threats on staff's lives. A security guard at Catford Library, for instance, was subjected to quite nasty racial abuse and threats on his life
after asking a group of young people to leave for attempting to smoke drugs in the toilets. Common triggers for these incidents are largely linked to the misuse of library toilets for drug use, vandalism, and general anti-social behaviour in the surrounding areas.
While no incidents were serious enough to be reported under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations), the rise in near misses suggests either an increase in hazards or an improved reporting culture among staff. New categories of incidents, such as assaults by a pupil/client on another pupil/client and human bites, also appeared in the data for the first time, with one incident recorded in each category during the reporting period.
Catford Library was identified as a particular hotspot, experiencing a 9% decrease in total incidents but a near doubling of near misses. Deptford Library saw its total incidents nearly double, with a sharp rise in near misses and a more than doubling of verbal abuse incidents. Downham Library, however, saw incident numbers remain unchanged, though 'injury' incidents quadrupled. Lewisham Library was closed for refurbishment during this period and was not included in the main incident data.
In response to these trends, Lewisham libraries are enhancing their safety measures. Staff have access to bespoke conflict management training through the Safer Business Network, covering areas like Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) and de-escalation techniques. Anti-social behaviour courses are also available to equip staff with legal powers and evidence-gathering skills. These skills are considered essential for frontline staff who interact with customers daily.
Conversations are ongoing between neighbourhood safety teams, and the library service has recently joined the Safer Business Network to improve CCTV monitoring and offender identification. A banning policy is in place and is being revised alongside library byelaws, with both documents sent to the Legal Team for review. The revised policy allows for incident bans of up to 12 months for serious offences, while minor disruptions may result in warning letters before a ban is considered.
Security staff are present at libraries, with their numbers reviewed based on incident levels and risk assessments. For example, Deptford Library has a security guard present, while Catford Library has one to two security guards on site. The deployment is determined by risk assessments conducted with the security company and is constantly under review.
Despite the rise in incidents, the report highlighted that the majority of library users engage with services positively. Visitor numbers are increasing, and libraries remain a welcoming space for many, including sanctuary seekers who reported feeling most welcomed and safe in libraries.
Councillor Pauline Dall, Chair of the Health and Safety Committee, acknowledged the concerns raised, particularly regarding the safety of staff and service users. The committee plans to continue monitoring these trends and explore further preventative measures. Further details on libraries' incident actions can be found in the Libraries Incident Actions Log.
