Mark asked the Minister what the Government was doing to ensure all emergency services work together this summer
On Monday 21st May, Rugby MP Mark Pawsey raised the issue of Olympic security in the House of Commons. Mark is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Emergency Services, a cross-party group seeking to ensure the Police, Fire and Ambulance services work together to help ensure the safety of the public. Given this role, Mark is known in Parliament as having a keen interest and good knowledge of this area.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mark asked Home Office Minister James Brokenshire:
“To ensure a safe Olympics, it will be important for the police to work closely with other blue light services, such as the fire and ambulance services. What discussions have taken place on collaboration between all the emergency services?”.
In response, the Minister praised Mark for his role, saying:
“I thank my honourable friend for his question, and I know that as chair of the all-party group on emergency services he takes a keen interest in these issues – indeed, I understand that he recently arranged a visit to the Olympic Park. I can assure him that the Home Secretary is ensuring that there is a strong and co-ordinated blue light response”.
Speaking afterwards Mark said:
“The issue of emergency services working together was first brought to my attention by a company based in Rugby, Airwave, who supply communications to our emergency services that ensure they can work together”.
Mark concluded:
“The issue of our emergency services working together could not be more relevant given the summer we are looking forward to in this country. The Olympics present a fantastic opportunity to showcase what is good about Britain to the world but it will undoubtedly bring with it huge pressures for our emergency services. I will continue to take any opportunity that I get in my role as Chair of the Emergency Services group in Parliament to push for greater joint-working between our services to ensure people’s safety”.