Road crash? Don’t call us, say police

POLICE should no longer be expected to attend road accidents, say senior officers who are demanding a radical shake-up of duties.

Officers are called to direct traffic and ensure public safety while fire crews cut free casualties and ambulance staff treat the injured.

But with budgets under pressure, some senior officers believe that police have better things to do.

The Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS) is now lobbying for firefighters to make scenes safe and redirect traffic.

However, firefighters yesterday vowed to oppose the proposals, warning it would put their members and the public at greater risk.

ASPS president Gordon Crossan believes the public needs to be realistic about the level of service the modern force can provide.

Police Scotland faces a £27.1 million hole in its finances and has been ordered to make cuts of £60 million a year since being merged into a national force in 2013.

Mr Crossan, who met Justice Secretary Michael Matheson last week, also believes there could be more station closures and a greater role for health and social workers in traditional police jobs.

He said: ‘There are a lot of calls that police go to as well as the fire service. Do we need to do that?

‘Take serious road crashes. The fire service comes along, cuts out the casualty. The ambulance takes the person to hospital. And the police – the most expensive resource there – direct traffic. You could say to fire, why don’t you direct traffic? We have demand 24 hours a day. By going to these we are taking resources from high-end stuff.’

But firefighters, who have also endured massive reform and cuts, are determined to resist the plans.

Stephen Thomson, Scottish regional secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: ‘Firefighters have enough to do at traffic accidents. It can be a highly taxing job.

‘Police are trained and highly resourced to deal with these incidents and make the scene safe for the public and firefighters. We would lobby very hard for it not to happen.’

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s director of response and resilience, said: ‘The primary focus of firefighters attending road traffic collisions is the casualty. It is vital that firefighters are able to operate with emergency partners during this time-critical effort.’

Douglas Ross, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, said: ‘Any change needs to be properly thought through. Responding to accidents can evolve, but evidence-gathering and protecting other road users cannot be jeopardised.’

Chief Superintendent Paul Main, of Police Scotland’s safer communities division, said: ‘We look forward to working with everyone who has an interest in improving the service we provide.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The Scottish Government has not received any approach regarding responsibility for attending road traffic accidents, but is always open to dialogue on how our public services best work together.’

In 2015, 162 people were killed on Scotland’s roads – down 20 per cent on the previous year.