Memorandum by the Association of Chief
Police Officers (ACPO) (FRS 54)
ACPO
1. The Association of Chief Police Officers
(ACPO) was set up over 50 years ago so that work in developing
policing policies could be undertaken in one place, on behalf
of the Service as a whole, rather than in 44 forces separately.
2. ACPO's members are police officers who
hold the rank of Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable or Assistant
Chief Constable, or their equivalents, in the forty-four forces
of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, national police agencies
and certain other forces in the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel
Islands, and certain senior non-police staff. There are presently
280 members of ACPO.
INTRODUCTION
3. The Police Service has a long history
of working closely with the Fire and Rescue Service in responding
to a wide range of emergencies and disasters. In addition the
Police Service has performed a key role in supporting contingency
arrangements that have been implemented during industrial disputes
within the Fire and Rescue Service. Recent legislation, including
the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 1999
and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, has reinforced the importance
of a close working relationship between the two services; both
at strategic and operational level.
ACPO RESPONSE
4. In response to the specific terms of
reference agreed by this Inquiry; ACPO only makes comment on areas
we consider have a direct impact on policing and are within our
knowledge and experience.
Item 1 The implications for citizens for and the
Fire and Rescue Service of
(a) The introduction of Regional Control
Centres.
5. This may have an impact on the effectiveness
of the response by the police and others in the event of an industrial
dispute within the Fire and Rescue Service (in recent disputes
some police forces provided temporary joint control rooms). These
issues can be resolved however by effective contingency planning
arrangements, which recognise that any temporary arrangements
must be capable of reflecting regional control structures.
6. It is also important to emphasise that,
wherever possible, "local knowledge" must be maintained
within any migration to regional call centre systems. Failure
to do so is likely to impact on the effectiveness of the Fire
and Rescue Service to provide an informed and "intelligence
led" response to emergencies. In addition to the retention
of personnel with the requisite knowledge, the use of technological
solutions such as sophisticated mapping software should be fully
exploited.
(b) The introduction of and implementation
process for Firelink radio services.
7. ACPO continues to work closely with CFOA
and other emergency responders in developing interoperable communication
systems. The role of 02 Airwave is crucial to delivering success
in this area, through their provision of secure digital communications
to both the Police and Fire and Rescue Service. An effective,
integrated system is essential to ensure a professional and `joined
up' response to any emergency.
Item 3. Joint working between the Fire and
Rescue Service and other emergency services
8. Legislation and actual events have forged
an even closer working relationship between the police and fire
service in recent years than ever before. Both COMAH and the Civil
Contingencies Act provide a statutory framework for joint working
at both strategic and operational level. In particular, the work
of the Regional and Local Resilience Forums ensures close co-operation
between the police and fire service (amongst others) in planning
for a wide range of emergencies.
9. Other examples of joint working between
the Police and Fire and Rescue Service include:
— Home Office Model Response Plan
for CBRN incidents.
— The National CBRN Training Centre
at Winterbourne Gunner, which is jointly staffed by representatives
from the "blue light" services.
— CFOA representation on the ACPO
Emergency Procedures Portfolio (strategic forum within ACPO to
develop policy and guidance for the Police Service in relation
to the response to emergencies and major disasters).
10. The above examples illustrate that the
two services continue to work closely together, at the strategic
and operational level, with a shared commitment to enhance community
safety in their day to day work and to deliver professional services
of the highest quality at times of crisis. This joint working
is particularly evidenced in the area of civil contingency planning,
where both services seek to ensure an inclusive, consultative
approach to developing national guidance, local policy and operational
resilience, through joint training and exercising.
DCC Alan Goodwin,
ACPO Emergency Procedures Committee.
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