Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright has said there’s no need for the police to get involved in traffic accidents. Mr Bright made his comments at a Police and Crime Panel meeting on 16th of March 2016 where the possibility of Police and Crime Commissioners being given responsibility for the fire and ambulance services was discussed.
Bright said:
for instance road traffic accidents, it’s possible there’s no need for the police to get involved in that because the fire engines are there
Bright also suggested fire officers should be trained as paramedics to help the ambulance service.
Full transcript
Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright(Conservative):
The interesting thing is of course the Home Office has taken fire on board themselves so they’ve now got fire and police. The Bill is going through. But there is huge opportunities there and we could make some tremendous savings by sharing for instance road traffic accidents, it’s possible there’s no need for the police to get involved in that because the fire engines are there and they’re cutting someone out clearing something up, that can be done with the new camera system you’ve got you don’t have to measure things it does it all for you and you do it on your computer when you get back. To get fire officers trained as paramedics would be fantastic, not just dealing with accidents there but with accidents in the street, if someone collapses in the street the fire service can be with them very rapidly, and this actually would help the ambulance service this is why we’re looking to bring them in. I think there are enormous savings to be made on that front.
My View
I think the police have, and should fulfil, a broad role in our society; including routinely attending incidents on the roads, not only to investigate crime but also to keep people safe and ensure people’s ability to travel isn’t unduly restricted.
A police officer’s time is valuable though so it’s right that they hand things over to Highways Agency or local council officers to clear up after the initial response to an incident.
Cross-training of emergency service personnel is of course valuable; particularly, but not exclusively, in rural areas where specialist assistance may often take a long time to arrive. I would like to see all police officers and fire officers trained in advanced first aid, and all response vehicles should carry equipment such as defibrillators.
While some cross-training is valuable firefighters and paramedics are, like police officers, specialised highly trained professionals I don’t think we can reasonably expect them to take on a policing role too. It is vital that those who need health care can obtain it without fear of the information they share with health professionals being shared with the police; I wouldn’t want the roles of paramedics and police officers blurred.
In my view the big opportunity provided by giving Police and Crime Commissioner’s responsibility for the ambulance service will be introducing local democratic accountability into part of the NHS for the first time. The Police and Crime Commissioner, or Emergency Services and Justice Commissioner as they might become, will be in a position to identify and work to address problems with hospitals, out of hours services, and social care arrangements leading to emergency situations arising which cause people harm and distress as well as pressure on the ambulance service. I hope the value of local democratic accountability and strategy setting will be seen and rapidly spread throughout the NHS.
One response to “No Need for Police to Attend Traffic Accidents Says Cambs Police and Crime Commissioner”
While a certain degree of cooperation between emergency service personel is welcome, I agree that entrusting fire fighters with traffic incidents will simply distract them from their main role.
Michael