Airwave Helps Hampshire Constabulary Communicate More Effectively
Monday, 20 April, 2009
Police are being encouraged to realise the full benefits of Airwave, the sophisticated communications service now used by all forces nation-wide.
Airwave was introduced to enable police forces to communicate effectively, resulting in better use of precious resources. Although the service was fully rolled out four years ago, not all forces have successfully exploited its full capability and, in some instances, costs are higher than necessary.
Hampshire Constabulary is one force which has proactively tackled the issue, accessing expert support through the Optimising Airwave package. Optimising Airwave was borne from the need to help forces improve their processes and procedures in line with the enhanced communication capability offered by Airwave.
Airwave consultants worked with Hampshire Constabulary to identify a number of improvements which would help make officers more effective and improve the service to the public. The goal was to achieve better communication between frontline officers and control room staff, quicker responses to incidents, improved officer safety, better visibility of officers to the public and better detection and prevention of crime.
As a result, a number of improvements have been made with the potential to save vital minutes per officer shift and shave critical seconds off response to emergencies.
In addition:
• PNC checks will be delivered more quickly
• Improved working practices have been adopted
• Emergency response personnel are deployed more effectively using Automatic Vehicle Location Service
• Voicemail is used to improve officer-to-officer communication and public accessibility
• Improved working practices will reduce Airwave 'airtime'.
Chief Inspector Cleaven Faulkner, Hampshire Constabulary's Programme Manager, said: "Our aim was to ensure we were able to make the best possible use of Airwave. The project was very far-reaching, looking at the processes and procedures we use, as well as the most appropriate method of communicating particular types of information.
"As a result we have enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness of our officers and should be well positioned to provide an improved service to the public."
David Ollerhead, Head of Consulting at Airwave, said: "Airwave is a highly flexible service which helps the police and other public safety organisations to work effectively. We were delighted to be able to help Hampshire Constabulary which should see officer efficiencies, improved service levels and cost savings as a result."
