A Victorian MP has received a terrifying threat on Saturday — a bullet engraved with the word “rat”.

Emergency Services Minister Paul Edbrooke found the bullet on his windscreen in Frankston just days after an allegedly deliberate ramming attack left MP Helen Haines critically injured, galvanising the national conversation about threats to politicians.

Another disturbing detail was engraved on the bullet — the ID number Edbrooke used during his 14 years as a local firefighter.

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The Frankston MP has spoken of the ‘‘terror’‘ on his children’s faces when he told them about the incident involving the family’s shared car.

The former United Firefighter’s Union member alleges that the bullet left on his windscreen was planted by aggrieved union members.

Union secretary Peter Marshall said on social media just days earlier that Edbrooke and Premier Ben Carroll were “in the gun”.

Marshall has since clarified he was referring to the ballot box, accusing Carroll’s government of seeking to weaken minimum staffing and employee protections.

Marshall condemned the threat “without qualification” and said the organisation would cooperate fully with police.

‘’Whoever did this does not speak or act for firefighters or for this union,” Marshall said in a statement.

“Threatening anyone, including a minister we strongly disagree with, is the opposite of everything this union stands for.”

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Relations between the union and the Labor government have frayed in recent years over a protracted pay dispute and allegations underfunding is putting firefighters’ safety at risk.

The relationship between Marshall and former Labor premier Dan Andrews was the central focus of a major investigation by Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog.

It found that Andrews, key ministers and public servants authorised an undisclosed backroom deal with Marshall to resolve a bitter pay dispute in 2016.

The watchdog concluded that by bypassing proper channels, Marshall was given “extraordinary influence” over the negotiations and the state’s firefighting reforms.

Carroll and Opposition Leader Jess Wilson both condemned the incident, with the Coalition leader calling for the temperature to be turned down.

It comes as the AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett warned the rhetoric and cruelty shared between leaders directly correlates to the level of violent and harrassing behaviours subsequently seen among the wider public.

Speaking on Sunrise on Monday, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the warnings from the AFP and ASIO should prompt politicians to reconsider how they engage in public debate.

“You can have strong and robust debate without being mean or cruel,” she said.

—with AAP