Senior police back single Blue Light centre to handle all types of 999 call

BLUE Light centres - where staff take 999 calls for all three emergency services - should be created under one roof under restructuring plans, senior police officers have said.

The Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, which has been one of the most vocal supporters of a single national police force, believes staff from all three services should be merged. The new staff would handle all emergency calls and distribute emergency vehicles as appropriate.

The association also wants the Scottish Government to consider what other back office and administrative functions could be shared between the police, fire and ambulance service.

David O'Connor, association president, said: "If we are heading towards a single force in Scotland, we need to see what benefits lie beyond that - both financial benefits and operational. One possibility would be working with partners to look at sharing control rooms.

"At some point in the future there must be an opportunity to look at sharing those services and, ultimately, improving the service. If we have staff from all three emergency services under one roof there will be benefits in terms of joined-up working, dispatching calls, improving communications and reducing inefficiency."

The Scottish Government will soon announce how many police and fire services Scotland will have, with options including retaining the current pattern of eight regional forces, slimming down to two or three regions or creating one national force.

While the fire service is open-minded about sharing control rooms, it warns that the skills required for each service are different and there may be an impact on services if staff are asked to cover all three.

David Dalziel, secretary of the Chief Fire Officers Association Scotland, said: "It's not something we would rule out in terms of infrastructure, but the skills required are different.

"Ambulance workers almost give a full diagnosis over the phone and there are senior ambulance staff with operational backgrounds in control rooms.

"Police gather evidence from the first point of contact - such as name and date of birth. The fire service is time driven. Our imperative is to get a pump to the door as quickly as possible. I'm not saying one person can't cover all three services but it could slow down what happens."

Opposition is also likely from rank-and-file police officers. George McIrvine, the Unison branch secretary for Tayside Police, warned against such a move.

"I don't think that would be workable for the police," he said. "When you are talking about cost savings, that's a load of nonsense. One all-singing, all-dancing service for Scotland would cost millions."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We are committed to delivering modern, effective and sustainable police and fire rescue services. No decisions have been taken on reform, and we will carefully consider the detail of the supporting evidence and the responses to our public consultation before deciding on the most effective solution."