§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to improve the quality of Operational Command Training in the Police and Fire Services. [155779]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe main elements of operational command training for the police service in England and Wales are the Command Team Programme, the Strategic Command Course and the Chief Police Officers Development Programme.
The Director of National Police Training will be leading a fundamental review of senior officer training and development over the next few months. That review will take account of the work to develop a national competency framework for the police service, which is nearing completion, and the establishment of a Police National Training Organisation (NTO) in May 2001.
In the fire service, training in Operational Command is provided partly on a local basis in brigades and at the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh. At present the training provided at the Fire Service College is based on the current ranks and roles of the Fire Service. These ranks and roles are currently under review and part of this work is the development of National Occupational Standards for Operational Command.
Guidance has also been issued to the Fire Service on Incident Command. In 1999, Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate produced the Fire Service Manual on Incident Command to ensure national unity in the command systems used by all the United Kingdom Fire Brigades.