Police and Crime Commissioner gives his backing for Blue Light Collaboration Project

Lincolnshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Marc Jones has today given his backing for emergency services in Lincolnshire to work more closely together.
Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones.Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones.
Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones.

In a bid to improve frontline services and strengthen partnerships, Lincolnshire Police, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), the Police and Crime Commissioner and Lincolnshire County Council will all work together to deliver the Blue Light Collaboration project.

The project includes: A blue light tri-service campus - Police, Fire and Ambulance - at South Park; Joint Police and Fire HQ and a co-located command and control centre at Nettleham; Wider estates review sharing stations across Lincolnshire and a review into how services can work more closely together.

The project will be funded by a £7.5m investment from the Government’s Police Innovation Fund and match funding from local services.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, Marc Jones said: “After many months of hard work and negotiations on both sides, I am delighted that this project can now start to become a reality.

“Through true partnership working, our emergency services will now work closely together to deliver a first-class blue light campus and a joint fire and police headquarters to meet the future need of the county.

“By sharing headquarters with the fire and rescue service, both organisations can adapt more easily to change and improve their ways of working, including making best use of technological advancements that are so important to efficiency. The new tri-service campus will allow us to create an operational and integrated base fit for the next generation.

“At the same time, we will be able to work more closely together – a significant advantage in many emergency situations as well as being of benefit to the taxpayers of Lincolnshire.”

Coun Nick Worth, executive councillor for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “This positive project will see the emergency services in Lincolnshire using their buildings and estates in a more effective manner. It will allow financial efficiencies in the longer term, better opportunities for closer working and will undoubtedly improve services for the public.”

Lincolnshire Police Chief Constable Neil Rhodes said: “This project will allow the three emergency services to work more closely together to deliver a better service to the local community and reviewing our buildings and estates made perfect sense.

“Creating a joint HQ at Nettleham with the fire brigade and a new tri-service hub at South Park provides a unique shared working environment that develops stronger partnership working as well as an environment that is fit for modern policing.”

Nick Borrill, Acting Chief Fire Officer at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “Working in collaboration with our colleagues from other agencies is a fundamental part of how we work, for example with our home safety check service as well as our co-responder scheme and Joint Ambulance Conveyance Project.

“By working side by side at sites throughout the county, we can achieve greater value for money and long term savings, as well as allowing us to strengthen our relationships and deliver the best service possible for the community.”

Richard Henderson, EMAS’ Acting Chief Executive EMAS said: “This is a really innovative collaboration project and we are looking forward to playing our part.”

As the project progresses, local communities will be kept informed and staff associations will be consulted with.

Information will also be available on www.lincolnshire.gov.uk and will be kept updated as the project progresses.