'Trust me with the fire service,’ says Shropshire's police commissioner

Mr Campion has written an open letter to Shropshire Star readers amid rising opposition to the move.

He will take on responsibility for Shropshire's fire service from this summer after winning Government approval for the move.

The decision was opposed by the county's fire authority, which will be disbanded.

Mr Campion will also take over Hereford and Worcester Fire Service, leading to councillors to threaten a judicial review to block an "undemocratic and a hostile take-over".

Nick Hurd, Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, approved the move for Mr Campion to control both police and fire services in the West Mercia region, describing it as "a real opportunity to improve the services provided to local people".

Today Mr Campion moved to reassure the people of Shropshire, insisting that he will improve the front-line service.

He said: "I anticipated there would be mixed views. People naturally have concerns about potential uncertainty around what all this could mean and what these changes will bring."

He said police and fire services should work closer together and in many cases could be sharing the same building.

He added: "I will never compromise the safety of the public. It was not only a must of mine, but a must of the business case that if savings could be made then it can never be at the expense of the public’s safety.

"I also want to ensure that the firefighters are still getting all the support they need. The implementation stage will only come after we get the planning stage right."

John Campion's open letter in full:

"In January 2016 the Government passed legislation that enabled police and crime commissioners to give local fire and rescue services clear public accountability.

This legislation was made to bring about closer working between the police, fire and rescue and NHS ambulance services – ultimately improving the way they serve communities like Shropshire, protect the public and provide value for money for taxpayers.

When I announced in June last year that I was launching a three-month consultation seeking people’s views on my proposals to bring together the governance for fire and police for West Mercia, I anticipated that there would be mixed views.

But these were the views I wanted to hear to make sure we safeguarded these vital services for generations to come.

After submitting my business case to the Home Office, it was announced last week that I, along with the Staffordshire and Cambridgeshire PCCs, will join Essex in becoming some of the first police, fire and crime commissioners.

People naturally have concerns about potential uncertainty around what all this could mean and what these changes will bring.

It certainly isn’t about local councillors or me as commissioner – my drive in having the difficult discussions about changes to fire governance has solely been about making sure we’re delivering the best long-term results for the communities, and right services to keep our communities safe.

Yes, collaboration between the two services currently exists, but it doesn’t go far enough to maximise the possible benefits to our communities. In towns across West Mercia we have police and fire stations alongside each other, when they could just be sharing a building.

For example, by doing this it not only removes unnecessary resources but allows police and fire to share data about incidents, as well as share expertise.

I want to make sure as much as your money as possible is spent on frontline fire and police activities.

Most importantly, the key detail here is you the public and the service you receive. I want to provide reassurance that it won’t be affected and you will continue to receive the fire service you expect. It’s likely that you won’t even notice anything has changed. I have been told by those I spoke to during the consultation, that they aren’t necessarily concerned who helps in times of emergency, as long as they know that someone will be there if they call for help.

This is why I will never compromise the safety of the public. It was not only a must of mine, but a must of the business case that if savings could be made then it can never be at the expense of the public’s safety.

Changes won’t start to happen until June and even then it won’t be something that will happen overnight.

Once the governance has officially been moved over to my office I will then spend a great amount of time working with the two chief fire officers.

This planning stage is the most crucial, as it involves seeking guidance from the two fire and rescue services to ensure we are maximising the benefits of both of them.

We’ll discuss how we can build on existing collaboration by working even closer, identifying where we can share assets and support, but respecting and retaining the professional skills and knowledge within each geographic area. I also want to ensure that the firefighters are still getting all the support they need. The implementation stage will follow this, but only after we get the planning stage right.

Our existing fire authorities have laid good foundations to build from, for which we are all grateful.

I will now aim to deliver the improvements I’ve outlined throughout this process and work tirelessly to make sure ‘potential’ benefits on paper become realities.

As commissioner I will always make sure that our emergency services are at the heart of our communities, keep us safe, whilst making sure that we’re as efficient as we can be."