Assurance sought over fire and police jobs

A PLEDGE that no police or fire jobs will be lost when the Highlands’s emergency services are scrapped next year are being sought by the region’s local authority.

Both Northern Constabulary and the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service (HIFRS) will bite the dust and merge into two national police and fire organisations.

Highland councillors will debate the controversial shake-up in Inverness on Thursday when its draft evidence is presented at a meeting of the full council.

Critics of the Scottish Government’s proposals had claimed the national emergency organisations would see local accountability lost in the move.

The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) bill outlining the huge reorganisation has now entered the Scottish Parliament.

Highland Council has asked for assurances that no staff will be lost to the region during the relocation of the emergency services and called for Inverness to be used as a regional police base.

It has also warned that a national service could lead to a drain of police officer talent away from the area and cause recruitment difficulties in the future.

Concerns about the potential lack of regional representation on the new police authority which would govern the national force have also been expressed, in the report by assistant chief executive Michelle Morris.

The government has promised a local police commander would be appointed for each council area in Scotland.

However, assurances about the seniority of that officer have been sought amid council fears their influence would be limited nationally if the rank was not senior enough.

"If this is to vary across local authorities there is a concern that in rural or smaller local authorities a lower ranking officer of authority will be appointed," the report states.

"This is of concern because in an organisation with a hierarchical structure, they would have a lower level of authority with the Scottish Police Service potentially limiting their capacity to influence the national policing plan and resources required for the local police plan."

The council has also asked that none of HIFRS’s front line or back offices are shut.

The government said merging the country’s current eight police forces would save £1.7 billion over 15 years.

The proposed changes had been opposed by Northern Constabulary’s chief constable George Graham and HIFRS.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said last month that he expected local commanders and senior officers for the new police and fire services to stand before councillors to explain and answer decisions.

The national fire and police services could be up and running by April 2013.