Forty constabularies – including the first in Scotland – have now received O2 Airwave, the UK’s first national communications system for the police.
The milestone illustrates the progress of the 5-year programme by O2 Airwave, part of mmO2 plc, to roll out the largest mobile communications network of its kind in Europe for public safety organisations. This will gradually allow the police to replace their outdated analogue radios with the state-of-the-art public safety technology. The £2.9bn government contract is due for completion in Spring 2005.
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary has just become the first in Scotland to take delivery of Airwave, and Sussex Police will this week be the 40th out of 51 forces to receive the service.
Over 60,000 police officers are now using Airwave in their everyday operations, and many are reporting that they not only feel safer but also identified and caught criminals as a direct result. A large number of forces are expanding the use of Airwave to enable their officers to access the Police National Computer and other databases direct from their handsets in a matter of seconds. Technologies, such as Automatic Vehicle Location Service, are improving response times by enabling forces to deploy officers more appropriately and helping to keep officers out on the beat instead of in the police station.
Over the next few weeks, Sussex Police will undertake a period of officer training, with the service going into operational use at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton in September.
Supt Ross Hollister of Sussex Police said: “Airwave is an important initiative to us and to the police service as a whole. It will help us to communicate better across the county as well as talk to other forces if and when the need arises.”
Over the next few months all 8 Scottish forces will receive Airwave, giving radio coverage across more than 90% of the country – a massive increase on the patchy coverage provided by the present system. Soon, for the first time ever, officers the length and breadth of Scotland will be able to talk easily to each other and with colleagues south of the border when necessary.
Chief Constable David Strang of Dumfries and Galloway described Airwave as ‘a major step forward in both officer and public safety’.
He said: “Airwave will make a enormous difference to us. It’s cutting-edge technology which will help us be more efficient, effective and stay one step ahead of criminals.”
Peter Richardson, Managing Director of O2 Airwave, said: “This is a significant milestone for Airwave. In Scotland and, indeed, in many other parts of the UK, police have had to endure patchy radio coverage and out-dated technology. This is a situation most businesses and consumers would find unacceptable, let alone the emergency services on which we rely for public safety.”