Port of Tilbury-Police Constable

[Techie1 + 2,024]

Roger Hirst will have oversight of two emergency services.

Essex PCC Roger Hirst will be police and fire commissioner

Essex PCC Roger Hirst has been granted responsibility for his county’s fire and rescue service.

The Home Office announced the move, a first in England hailing it as “an important step” in its collaboration drive.

The department also claimed that the change will bring greater accountability to the fire service.

Conservative Mr Hirst, a former cabinet holder at Essex County Council, said: “By ensuring a more joined-up response to incidents, providing crime and fire prevention advice, creating community safety hubs, and sharing buildings we can improve how we work and generate significant savings which can then be reinvested back into front line services.

“Essex has always been an innovative and forward thinking county as shown by the support we have received for this proposal. Together we can do more to improve the service we give to the public and help keep people safe.”

He will take on the extra responsibility from October. The current Essex Fire Authority, which oversees the service, will be abolished.

Policing and Fire Minister Nick Hurd praised the move.

He said: “I want to see our emergency services continue to drive closer collaboration to encourage joint working, the sharing of best practice and more innovative thinking. 

“Having a directly accountable leader overseeing policing and fire will help both services enhance their effectiveness, maximise available resources, boost local resilience and improve the services delivered to the public.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the benefits this will bring to the local area."

Several other PCCs have applied to take on similar responsibilities.

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[Pete 1,492]

I assume that to yield a position of such authority over two such niche areas in a civilised country, he's specifically qualified and has had years of experience in all facets of policing and fire & rescue. It would be absurd to appoint someone to such a position with no experience or knowledge of the subjects.

[Cathedral Bobby + 1,174]

4 minutes ago, Pete said:

I assume that to yield a position of such authority over two such niche areas in a civilised country, he's specifically qualified and has had years of experience in all facets of policing and fire & rescue. It would be absurd to appoint someone to such a position with no experience or knowledge of the subjects.

No experience needed whatsoever, these are political posts, probably no different experience than parliamentarians who become Ministers of State at the Home Office.

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

It makes perfect sense. We have both services under one Government Minister and the HMIC is now the HMICFRS.
And why on earth would he need to know which end of the hose to point at the fire. I know several people who are school governors who have no idea whatsoever about education or teaching.

[Milankovitch + 3,445]

The skills required to be an operational firefighter and do what this chap will be doing are worlds apart. An operational firefighter probably won't give two hoots about the financial side of things, tendering, procurement, asset management, precepts and so on that fire authorities and PCCs have to concern themselves with. I wouldn't want a PCC to turn up if my house was on fire but I wouldn't ask a firefighter for the financial figures for that fire service for the past year. Different jobs with differing skills.