Interim bases for police and fire services

Wednesday 22 February 2012

SCOTLAND'S new single police and fire services will begin in April next year, with interim headquarters in Fife and Perth.

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The Police Service of Scotland will initially be based in Tulliallan, Fife, which is also home to the Scottish Police College.

Meanwhile, the new Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will have its interim base at Perth Community Fire Station.

The two organisations, due to replace the existing eight police services and fire brigades from April next year, will then need to decide where their permanent bases will be.The Scottish Government's Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill will establish single forces for each ser-vice by merging regional divisions.Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill welcomed the announcement of the interim headquarters, describing the new bases as "cost-effective" choices.He also said they should help provide a "smooth transition" to the new services to "ensure communities across Scotland continue to experience excellent police and fire and rescue services".Chief Constable Kevin Smith, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, said the move to a single force is "an important new chapter in the history of policing in Scotland".Mr Smith said: "The proposed start date is just over 12 months away and there is a lot to be done in the next year to make the change necessary to have the new structure in place."Meanwhile, Alex Clark, chairman of Chief Fire Officers Association Scotland, said the announcement that the interim headquarters would be in Perth, together with the proposed start date, brings the new service into "sharper focus".He said these are "two important steps on the road to fire reform", but stressed: "These decisions will not have an immediate effect on either our staff or our current service."

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Interim bases for police and fire services

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