Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews has written to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in support of their continued independence from Police and Crime Commissionersā (PCC) control.
In November, the UK Government published the 2015 Spending Review, which outlined an intention to enable (PCCs) to take charge of English fire and rescue services.
Writing to the FBU, Leighton Andrews said:
āIt is clearly important for Fire and Rescue Authorities to collaborate closely with the Police on many matters.
āHowever, the excellent programmes the FRAs run to divert people away from fire-related crime depend on the trust and respect firefighters have in all sections of the community.
āIn Wales, we have very low reoffending rates among participants on such programmes.Ā If FRAs were seen as just an adjunct to the Police, this could easily be jeopardised.ā
Rejecting claims that this option has the potential to reduce costs, the Minister added:
āOverall, these plans do not bear any serious scrutiny. As I have said in the Assembly and elsewhere, we will not be adopting them in Wales.ā
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