Final Meeting of Tayside Police After Thirty Eight Years Service

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On Monday morning, I attended the last meeting of Tayside Police Board. 

Members of the Board considered a number of reports which detailed the transition from eight regional Police Forces to the new Single Police Force for Scotland that will come into effect on Monday 1st April 2013. While it was clear that the changeover has taken a great deal of planning, other reports dealt with day to day policing which had been effectively continuing in parallel with the preparation for the changeover next week.


For example, the report, TAYSIDE POLICE PERFORMANCE POSITION AT JANUARY 2013, revealed that:

"The force achieved 3 out of 4 of crime reduction targets by January:

• A reduction in violent crime of 22.6% (101 crimes)
• Despite an increase in robbery of 2.0% (2 crimes)
• A reduction in vandalism of 9.8% (342 crimes)

Domestic housebreaking failed to achieve target


Domestic Housebreaking - saw a 15.2% increase from 541 to 623 crimes at the end of January. The end of year target is 700 ..... ."

During their 38 years of operation as a regional police force, I think Tayside Police have effectively protected the combined communities of Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross.

At the end of the morning senior officers and staff and elected members braved the cold wind for a procession down the High Street and ceremony in Tay Street for not only Tayside Police but also Tayside Fire and Rescue, which is also to become a single national service at the same time.

Consultation on Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2013

The Scottish Government has recently published the draft Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2013. This consultation seeks our views on the strategic priorities for the single Fire and Rescue Service for Scotland. On 1st April 2013, this national service will take over responsibility for fire and rescue from the eight current regionally organised services, such as our own Tayside Fire and Rescue.

The documentation includes the following:

The main purpose of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is to work in partnership with communities, and with others in the public, private and third sectors, on prevention, protection and response, to improve the safety and well being of people throughout Scotland.

I wonder if it's only me but I find this statement rather bland and vague. Amazingly the statement misses out what I think most folk believe is the primary purpose of the Fire and Rescue Service; fire fighting! If the name of the service hadn't been included in the statement, I defy folk to guess this is meant to guide the work of this particular emergency service. While I wouldn't argue with the need to also work on fire prevention and operate in partnership, I think what most folk value is the confidence that this emergency service provides that it is on call 24x7 to attend fire and rescue emergencies and protect people and property.

Comments on the consultation need to be submitted by 18 February 2013. Read download the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2013

Commenting on the False Alarms from Grove Academy to Tayside Fire & Rescue

During August and September there have been a number of maliciously activated fire alarms at Grove Academy. 


Activations of the Fire Alarm automatically summon an emergency response from Tayside Fire and Rescue.

I was disappointed to hear about such irresponsible behaviour from a small number of pupils at Grove Academy. 

False alarms calls to Tayside Fire and Rescue waste time and public money. More seriously, they run the risk of diverting firefighters and fire appliances on an unnecessary journey when they might be needed urgently at a real fire.
 

I have been impressed with the robust and comprehensive response by the Senior Management Team of School to these incidents. These responses include:

• pupil exclusions, 
• meetings with the pupils involved, their parents and carers together with staff from Tayside Fire & Rescue as well as 
• fire safety talks by fire fighters for all the pupils.

These incidents should not distract from the outstanding performance of Grove Academy pupils in the SQA examinations this year and the school's commitment to promote positve citizenship.

Balmossie Fire Station Saved - Thanks to Thousands of Active Citizens

This morning the Tayside Fire & Rescue Board met in Perth and decided, by ten votes in favour and eight votes against, not to downgrade Balmossie Fire Station.

I welcome this decision, which is a victory for common sense. I want to thank the thousands of active citizens in Broughty Ferry who submitted objections to the proposals and made Councillors on the Fire & Rescue Board think again. That is no bad thing in a democracy.

I understand that Dundee's SNP Councillor Roberts voted to downgrade Balmossie ignoring the decision of the City Council's Policy & Resources Committee and the remainder of her Dundee Councillor colleagues on the Board. I think she she should resign her position as Vice Chairperson of the Board. Who does she think she is representing on the Board?

Save Balmossie Rally

On Saturday, more than three hundred fire fighters and supporters gathered at Castle Green to march around the centre of Broughty Ferry and then converge on the St Aidan's Halls for a rally. These events concluded the Fire Brigades' Union campaign to oppose the downgrading of Balmossie Fire Station. More than 5000 letters of objection have been gathered in support of retaining two fire and rescue crews and two fire appliances at Balmossie 24x7.

Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Dundee East, Katrina Murray said:
"5000 voters can't be wrong! Their overwhelming and united voices are opposed to the dangerous and ill conceived proposal to downgrade Balmossie Fire Station. Councillors on the Tayside Fire and Rescue Board should drop this proposal immediately when they meet next Monday to consider the public response to their fire and rescue strategy, 'Towards a Safer Tayside 2010/11'. Having reprieved Balmossie Fire Station from a 50% cut, they should then agree not to return to this issue again next year."

Labour Ferry Councillor Laurie Bidwell said:
"About half of the 5000+ written letters of objection generated by this campaign have been collected from folk living in my ward. Constituents in 'The Ferry' are very clearly opposed to the downgrading of Balmossie Fire Station. They appreciate that if the full time crew on night shift at Balmossie is removed, it would mean that there may be unacceptable delays in getting a fire crew and fire engine to a night time call out. Waiting for retained crew members to get up from their beds at home and make their way to Balmossie will delay this vital emergency service getting to the scene of a fire, road traffic accident or inland flood. This level of response shows that constituents in The Ferry demand the continuation of a 24 x 7 full time crew at their fire station ready to turn out in an instant to protect their lives and property whatever the weather."

Save Your Balmossie Fire Station March and Rally - My Speech

Thank you for asking me to speak at your rally today.

Firstly I want to acknowledge the initiative of the Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) for alerting the community to the likelihood of Balmossie Fire Station being on the hit list once again. This was well before the launch of the consultation by the Fire & Rescue Board in late November 2009. Once again your members have stepped up to the plate and shown their commitment to maintain our fire and rescue cover as well as protecting their jobs.

Secondly, I want to say how privileged I feel to have stood with your members and supporters in solidarity, and it has to be said in the cold, at the three street campaigning events you held in my constituency, and of course on the march through the Ferry today. From Barnhill Shopping Centre in December to Brook Street, Broughty Ferry and Sainsburys in January.

Thirdly, I have been delighted to provide my support and reflect the views of the overwhelming majority of my constituents. Clearly people in Broughty Ferry appreciate the peace of mind that comes from having a properly resourced Fire and Rescue service to serve their community. It's one of our essential emergency services. Interestingly that must have been in the minds of the former members of the Broughty Ferry Burgh Council, who wisely insisted, nearly a hundred years ago, that one of the conditions for agreeing to the annexation of Broughty Ferry into Dundee was the provision by Dundee Council of a fire station in Broughty Ferry. This was enshrined in the 1913 Act of parliament that led to the inclusion of Broughty Ferry in Dundee. I think that 21st century residents in Broughty Ferry have shown that they have no intention of letting the successor authority, Tayside Fire and Rescue, off the hook.

Finally, I am pleased that there are politicians here today from outside the Ferry and the immediate area served by the fire station. Cynics might say that this is just because a general election is imminent. But I think it indicates very powerfully that it is now recognised that this is a Dundee not just a Broughty Ferry issue. Because if you reduce the number of fire appliances and fire crews based in the city, and Balmossie is based within the city boundary, you reduce the fire and rescue capability of the city as a whole. As well as primarily serving our area here in Broughty Ferry, our fire and rescue crews serve the wider city as 'super subs' when fire and rescue appliances are called out from other fire stations in the city.

So as the campaign comes to end and we await the decision of the Fire & Rescue Board, be assured that my Labour colleagues on the Fire & Rescue Board will continue to vote against any proposal that would downgrade Balmossie.

I think the public of Dundee East have shown that they recognise the vital importance of the Fire and Rescue service in their lives.

Stephen Hunter and the obdurate members of the Fire and Rescue Board should be in no doubt that the Broughty Ferry public, whom I represent, have demonstrated more than conclusively that this is not Save the FBU Balmossie Fire Station but Save OUR Balmossie Fire Station.

So as Obama would have said had he had time to join us today:
Can we save our Balmossie Fire Station? Let's hear it!

Yes we can!

Council Decides to Support Retention of Bamossie Fire Station

Last night's meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee considered Dundee City Council's response to the consultation document 'Towards a Safer Tayside 2010/11'Tayside Fire and Rescue. It is this consultation document that includes the proposal to downgrade Balmossie Fire Station. The Policy & Resources Committee heard two deputations. The first deputation from Neil Ritch, Fire Fighter serving at Balmossie and Jim Malone from the Fire Brigades' Union and the second from Fire Chief Stephen Hunter and Depute Fire Chief Alasdair Hay. After a long series of questions to the deputations, the Committee agreed, without a vote, that their response to the consultation would be: issued by "This Committee supports the document 'Towards a Safer Tayside' with the exception of the proposals for Balmossie Fire Station".

In last nights debate, Fire Chief Stephen Hunter was apparently unable to convince any Dundee Councillor that it was a good idea to downgrade Balmossie and thereby reduce from eight to seven the number of fire crews and fire engines based in the city and that somehow this cut would enhance community safety in Dundee. Just as I predicted, 'it is inconceivable that any City Councillor should support a reduction in this vital emergency service' (reported in the Courier on Monday), there was cross party support last night to indicate emphatically that Dundee City Council does not support the downgrading of Balmossie Fire Station. I think the change of heart of some Councillors was undoubtedly because of the mounting evidence of significant public opposition; especially the more than 3000 people who have already registered objections. Unfortunately, Councillor Christina Roberts (SNP Dundee East End) Vice Convener of the Fire and Rescue Board did not indicate last night whether she is now persuaded to change her vote when this issue returns to the Tayside Fire and Rescue Board. I think she should publicly clarify her position.
Fire Station and thereby reduce from eight to seven the number of fire crews and fire engines based in the city and that somehow this cut would enhance community safety in Dundee.

While I think the City Council's decision on Monday night is an important milestone in defeating this ill conceived proposal, I don't want constituents to think that they no longer need to bother responding to the 'Towards a Safer Tayside 2010/11' consultation and registering their views. Until the Fire and Rescue Board decide at their March meeting, after the consultation period closes, we cannot assume that our fire and rescue service at Balmossie is safe from the proposed damaging cutbacks.

Save Your Balmossie Fire Campaign in the Ferry

I enjoyed meeting numerous constituents at the Fire Brigades' Union stalls outside Marks and Spencers and Woolworths in Brook Street Broughty Ferry on Saturday. Over 900 hundred folk defied the miserably
cold weather and recorded their opposition to the proposal to downgrade Balmossie Fire Station. Over 95% of those I talked to were against this proposal. The pressure of public opinion against this unreasonable and ill thought out proposal is mounting. I hope members of the Fire and Rescue Board are receptive to hearing and responding constructively to this level of criticism?

Severe Winter Weather Emphasises Importance of Full Time Night Shift Fire Crew at Balmossie Fire Station

Withdrawing the full time crew on night shift from Balmossie will mean that there may be unacceptable delays in getting a fire crew and fire engine to a night time call out. Waiting for retained crew members to get up from their beds at home and make their way to Balmossie will delay this vital emergency service getting to the scene of a fire, road traffic accident or inland flood. This is especially likely to be the case when there is snow and ice on the roads. I think most constituents in The Ferry find it reassuring that there is a 24 x 7 full time crew at their fire station ready to turn out in an instant to protect their lives and property whatever the weather.

I am pleased that Ken Guild (SNP Ferry Councillor and Leader of the City Council) has seen sense and says he is no longer of the view that Balmossie fire station should be downgraded. It is a pity of course that he didn't do his homework before the Fire and Rescue Board meeting in November. Perhaps this was inexperience in his role as Leader of the City Council or being distracted by the SNP's ambitions for independence? Will Councillor Guild now assure his constituents in the Ferry that his colleague, SNP Councillor Roberts, Vice Convener of the Fire & Rescue Board, will have a have a change of heart when the results of the current consultation are considered by the Fire and Rescue Board in March?

Dundee SNP Councillors on Fire Board need change of heart

“I am pleased that Councillor Ken Guild (SNP Ferry Councillor and Leader of the City Council) has seen sense and says he is no longer of the view that Balmossie fire station should be downgraded. This is all very well but Ken Guild is not a member of the Fire and Rescue Board. It was the votes of his colleagues, Dundee SNP Councillors, which were decisive at the Fire and Rescue Board meeting in November. They voted as a block to include downgrading Balmossie in the current consultation. They also voted as a block to exclude from the consultation document the wider range of statistics that Councillor Guild now says have persuaded him to change his view. Will he now assure his constituents in the Ferry that his SNP colleagues will have a change of heart when the results of the consultation are considered by the Fire and Rescue Board?"

Towards A Safer Tayside 2010/11 November 2009 Out for Consultation

Towards A Safer Tayside 2010/11, the forward plan for Tayside Fire and Rescue, has recently been issued for public consultation. Residents in Broughty Ferry should study these carefully. One of the key changes proposed is the downgrading of Balmossie Fire Station that serves, Broughty Ferry, Monifieth and their landward areas out to Monikie. One of the fire crews and one of the two fire engines currently based at Balmossie will be redeployed to Forfar. The consultation period lasts until early February. Don't say you haven't been warned. Protest and survive!

View or Download Towards a Safer Tayside 2010/11 Consultation November 2009

Fill in the Response Questionnaire online

Request a printed copy of the "Towards a Safer Tayside 2010/11 Consultation November 2009", a comments/response sheet and a reply paid envelope from:

Tayside Fire and Rescue
Fire and Rescue Headquarters
Blackness Road
Dundee
DD1 5PA

Tel: 01382 322222
Fax: 01382 200791
Email: enquiries@taysidefire.gov.uk

Disappointment at Fire & Rescue Board Decision

At the Tayside Fire & Rescue Board on Monday 16 November, the Board voted to go ahead with a consultation on 'Towards a Safer Tayside 2010/11' which includes as a major change, the downgrading of Balmossie Fire Station serving Broughty Ferry, Monifieth and their landward areas.

I am very disappointed that the Tayside Fire and Rescue Board, meeting on Monday, voted to go ahead with a consultation on the downgrading of Balmossie Fire Station. I wonder why Dundee SNP Councillors on the board did not support the exclusion of Balmossie from the consultation on 'Towards a Safer Tayside 2010/11'? Many politicians, including Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie (SNP) thought like me that it was premature to return to a matter that had been exhaustively consulted on between November 2008 and March 2009 and about which the communities served by the fire station were emphatic in their rejection. Regretably, we are where we are. I want to reassure constituents that I will do my utmost to ensure that there are plenty of public opportunities for them to put forward their views when the official consultation on "Towards a Safer Tayside 2010/11" is launched. I am confident that residents in Broughty Ferry will want to come forward to support the fulltime retention of their local Fire and Rescue Service.

Balmossie Fire Station Under Threat

Members of the Tayside Fire and Rescue Board reading their papers for the Fire Board meeting in Forfar next Monday morning, may be experiencing a sense of deja vu. On their agenda is the approval of a public consultation process for 'Towards a Safer Tayside 2010/2011'. Included in recommendations for 2010/11 are proposals to downgrade Balmossie Fire Station which are nearly identical with those that were consulted on extensively and voted down by the Fire Board in March of this year. When I raised this issue with the media last week, I had hoped that good sense would have prevailed in setting the agenda for the next Tayside Fire and Rescue Board meeting. My constituents in Broughty Ferry will be very disappointed. They will be forgiven for thinking that the consultation proposed is a sham. Last year a record number of people responded to the proposed Fire and Rescue Strategy and in Broughty Ferry more than 600 people objected to that part of the strategy that was linked to downgrading services based at Balmossie Fire Station. Not only were the overwhelming majority of respondents unconvinced but the proposals did not convince members of the Fire and Rescue Board either. On 30 March 2009, Councillors on the Fire and Rescue Board voted by twelve votes to five to drop that part of the strategy. If the consultation last year was entered into genuinely and respectfully, how can so many voices be ignored? Why is the Fire Master, Stephen Hunter, so obdurate that he cannot take no for an answer from the public and the Fire and Rescue Board?"

Balmossie Fire Station

In recent weeks there have been reports in the local media about the Tayside Fire & Rescue Service apparently wanting to reopen the question of downgrading Balmossie Fire Station.

I have been contacted by constituents, who are very concerned by press reports that the future of Balmossie Fire Station is under question again.

I want to ask the Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Stephen Hunter,

'will he give residents in the Ferry and me an assurance that the fire and rescue services at the Balmossie Fire Station will be continued in the form agreed at the Fire Board meeting on 30 March 2009?'

I hope that Fire & Rescue Chief will not need any reminding that the decision taken by the Fire & Rescue Board at the end of March followed a lengthy and thorough consultation about the Towards a Safer Tayside strategy. More than 660 residents in The Ferry area responded with the overwhelming majority objecting to the downgrading of their local fire station. Recent additional planning permissions and serious flooding incidents represent increased local risk factors which reinforce the need for the full time round the clock fire and rescue crews at Balmossie. Of course Balmossie is not just a station that responds to emergency calls and conducts fire safety visits in Broughty Ferry and Monifieth and area. It also has an important role backing up Blackness Fire Station in Dundee, when its crews are called out to fires, floods and road traffic accidents. These include incidents in parts of Tayside outside Dundee.

I also want the Chief to explain why he might appear to be ignoring the emphatic twelve vote to five decision of Conservative, SNP, Liberal Democrat and Labour Councillors on the Fire & Rescue Board who combined to modify his March 2009 proposals in the light of overwhelming public opposition?

'Does he think that these politicians would be so fickle as to have changed their minds so soon after their vote in March?'

When the Fire & Rescue Board decision to retain the 24 hour 7 days a week full time fire service at Balmossie was announced, the 'good sense' of decision makers was welcomed by Stewart Hosie MP and Shona Robison MSP.

'Does Fire & Rescue Chief Stephen Hunter think our Dundee East MP and MSP would be minded to withdraw their support so soon after declaring it?'