RADICAL proposals from the Government which could see police and fire services merged and greater collaboration with the ambulance service have been put out for consultation.

And Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson says the proposals appear to make sense.

The government said there is more to be done to improve the way the emergency services serve communities, cut crime, save lives and provide value for money for taxpayers.

The consultation paper proposes that all three emergency services should look at working more closely together in a bid to improve efficiency and effectiveness. It also proposes allowing police and crime commissioners to take on the duties and responsibilities of fire and rescue authorities.

Announcing the proposals the minister for policing, crime, criminal justice and victims, Mike Penning said that it did not make sense for emergency services to have different premises, different back offices and different IT systems when their work is so closely related.

He added: “Directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners are accountable to the people they serve and uniquely placed to improve the way the emergency services are delivered at a local level, and we propose enabling them to take responsibility for the fire and rescue service where a local case is made.

“As a former firefighter and now Minister for Policing, I know from first-hand experience how well the police and fire service can work together. We believe that better joint working can strengthen the emergency services and deliver significant savings and benefits for the public. This is about smarter working, reducing the cost of back office functions and freeing up the time of front-line staff.”

Mr Macpherson said: “This is an interesting set of proposals.

“I note that the minister said ‘it simply doesn’t make sense for emergency services to have different premises, different back offices and different IT systems when their work is so closely related and they often share the same boundaries’.

“We have been working closely with our partners at Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council on just this point for the past two years.

“I have long held the view that Robert Peel, the founder of the police service, was right when he said that ‘the police are the public and the public are the police’. In other words, police officers are drawn from the local community to protect the community. The same can be said of firefighters.

“It is too early to comment in detail because I will need to discuss the proposals with the Chief Constable, our council partners and the PCC for Dorset because the fire and rescue services of Wiltshire and Dorset are in the process of merging. I would also want to consult with the fire authority.

“However, I can see nothing in principle against what is being canvassed in this Home Office consultation.”

But the proposals have been heavily criticised by the Fire Brigades Union. FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “These are badly thought out proposals from a government which couldn’t care less about emergency services or those they employ.

“There is absolutely no case for PCCs to take over the fire and rescue service. PCCs have no genuine democratic mandate or understanding of the role and function of the fire and rescue service. Police are law enforcers, while fire and rescue is a humanitarian service with a very different remit and culture.

“Firefighters need to be seen to be neutral within the communities they serve. Links with law enforcers will damage the much needed trust and reputation firefighters have built up in neighbourhoods over decades, trust they depend on to gain access to peoples’ homes when needed for fire prevention and rescue work.

“Fire and rescue services need independence to do their job professionally. We will challenge these proposals and appeal to local politicians to do the same.”

A spokesman for the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives said: “AACE broadly welcomes the call for closer collaboration between the NHS Ambulance Service and other blue-light services and remains interested in exploring any opportunities that greater co-location and co-responding might offer to improve patient care.

“AACE works closely with counterparts in the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and is keen to continue building strong relationships with these organisations going forwards.