“A System in Crisis”: FOI Files Reveal Years of Violence, Threats and Police Call‑Outs Inside North Tyneside Libraries
North Tyneside’s libraries — long regarded as safe community spaces — have been the scene of years of violence, threats, drug use and repeated police intervention, according to official documents obtained by TrueNorth.
A whistleblower has come forward with detailed accounts of assaults, weapons, safeguarding failures and intimidation across multiple libraries. Their claims are supported by council and police records showing a pattern of serious incidents stretching back years.
What emerges is not a handful of isolated problems. It is a systemic breakdown in safety, affecting staff, children, and members of the public.
FOI documents reveal repeated violence and escalating risks
A Freedom of Information response from North Tyneside Council lists multiple incidents where staff were verbally abused, threatened, or required police support. These include:
- threats and aggressive behaviour
- CCTV handed to police
- temporary exclusions
- Prevent referrals
- staff instructed not to deal with certain individuals alone
These incidents span North Shields, Whitley Bay, Wallsend, Shiremoor and White Swan — showing the issue is borough‑wide, not confined to one location.
Police confirm the scale: 266 incidents at three sites alone
A separate FOI response from Northumbria Police confirms 266 recorded incidents at North Shields, Whitley Bay and Wallsend Customer First Centres between 2016 and March 2020.
These include:
- disorder
- threats
- assaults
- situations requiring immediate police attendance
This is only what was formally logged. The whistleblower says the official figures represent just a fraction of what staff have faced.
Whistleblower: “Staff have been dealing with this for years”
The source describes a far more serious picture — one they say has been known internally for a long time.
They report:
- assaults on staff and members of the public
- customers carrying or threatening with weapons
- drug use inside library buildings
- death threats
- stalking
- safeguarding failures involving children
- political intimidation
- repeated incidents involving individuals known to management
Their account closely mirrors the patterns shown in the FOI documents.
A public service under strain
Libraries are meant to be safe spaces — for children, families, vulnerable people, and staff. The documents paint a different picture: one of frontline workers dealing with violence, threats and dangerous behaviour with limited support.
TrueNorth is now examining:
- how long senior figures have known about the scale of the problem
- whether staff concerns were raised or ignored
- whether safeguarding procedures were followed
- whether the public were ever informed
- what steps, if any, have been taken to protect staff and visitors
This is a developing investigation.
TrueNorth will continue to uncover the full story
TrueNorth is reviewing further evidence and will publish additional findings as the investigation progresses.
If you work in the library service — or have information about safety concerns in public buildings — you can contact us confidentially at info@truenorthnews.co.uk.