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A controlled recording

Published: 
01 August, 2006

Dawn Read discusses the impact that the merger of regional control rooms is having on voice recording solutions, and explores the advances in technology with Paul Manyweathers, managing director, Activa Solutions and Adam Smith, public safety marketing manager, Nice Systems...

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NYPD maximises use of intelligence

Published: 
01 August, 2006

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is using UK technology, developed by Nottingham-based company ABM, to aid the investigation process in it's Real Time Crime Centre...

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Complex communications system goes live in Hong Kong

Published: 
01 August, 2006

The Hong Kong Police Force has entered a new era in command and control, implementing the Control Communications System (CCIII) for the New Territories Regions and the Kowloon Regions in March 2006. Dawn Read speaks John Gherghet about the contract.

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Intelligent technology to meet CCA requirments

Published: 
01 August, 2006

DATA MANAGEMENT: Intelligent data storage for West Yorkshire NHS CA BrightStor Data Availability Suite helps West Yorkshire NHS ready IT services for better healthcare delivery...

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Intelligent technology to meet CCA requirements

Published: 
01 August, 2006

Intelligent use of technology is the key to the successful implementation of the Civil Contingencies Act, says Howard Papworth SG&I; executive director, Western Europe, Intergraph.

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Smart Training at Essex Police force

Published: 
01 August, 2006

Smart training at Essex Police Force: Steljes explains to The BAPCO Journal how its interactive whiteboards are transforming training and operations for the Essex Police Force ...

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Intelligent data storage for West Yorkshire NHS

Published: 
01 August, 2006

DATA MANAGEMENT Intelligent data storage for West Yorkshire NHS CA BrightStor Data Availability Suite helps West Yorkshire NHS ready IT services for better healthcare delivery...

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Acoustic Shock in headset wearers

Published: 
01 August, 2006

An emergency services command and control room perspective

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Hampshire chooses APD vehicle locators

Published: 
01 August, 2006

Hampshire Police chooses APD’s force-wide officer & vehicle location product. APD has signed a contract with the Hampshire Constabulary that will provide accurate location information for its vehicle resources. All vehicles in the force, including cars, boats, vans and motorbikes, will use the software when it is rolled out this summer. The products will ensure greater officer safety and enable the control room to dispatch officers located closest to the scenes of incidents, thereby shortening response times and potentially freeing up control room time to deal with more calls. This is expected to be the first stage of a wider officer location project that will included foot and cycle patrol officers. APD’s Co-ordinator software will be integrated into the Hampshire Constabulary’s control room technology and APD INCA units installed in 800 vehicles. Global positioning (GPS) capabilities will allow communication with the Co-ordinator software, so that control room staff can identify vehicle locations and dispatch accordingly. The software could also be used by other departments to aid fleet management and accident investigation. The new system will also becost effective by taking advantage of the bandwidth available on Airwave. Hampshire Police chose the APD solution because in additionto the GPS functionality, it also provides the ability to record vehicle activity.

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In-cab computers for Scottish ambulances

Published: 
01 August, 2006

Ambulances having computers installed

Scottish Ambulance Service awards contract for ruggedised in-cab computer terminalsScottish Ambulance hasannounced the award of the PCbased in-cab computer terminalscontract to Terrafix Ltd.The contract worth £8.2 M isto supply, install, integrate andmaintain Terrafix ComputerTerminals, (TMC 1450) withbespoke custom software to thecab and patient treatment area(rear) of the whole of ScottishAmbulance Service A&E; fleet.The ruggedised PC terminalswill integrate with the existingTerrafix GPRS AVL solution toprovide the most advanced andcomprehensive Ambulance in-vehicleand mobile data system inthe UK.The contract is a result of threeyears close co-operationbetween Scottish Ambulance andTerrafix during which time bothhardware and software have beenrefined to meet the exactingstandards required by ScottishAmbulance Management,Paramedics and ClinicalGovernance.Adrian Lucas, Chief Executive ofScottish Ambulance said, "Theaward of this contract to Terrafixmarks a huge step forward inambulance technology and makesScottish Ambulance Service one ofthe leading services in the worldthus continuing our efforts toprovide a superior service to thepeople of Scotland."Installation of the system willcommence in the summer of2006 for the 500 vehicles withcompletion expected in the earlypart of 2007.The cab terminal will facilitatethe dispatch, satellite navigation,and status functions for theambulance with the rear terminalproviding an electronic patientreport form as well as clinical support data for the crews.The majority of information willautomatically populate on theterminal, the remainder, enteredby the crew. This information isthen passed from the remotelocation to a centralisedInformation Services Division ofthe Scottish Executive HealthAuthority. Similarly specificpatient information from theHealth Authority can be passedto crews assisting them inperforming their job more safelyand efficiently.John Rosson, Managing Directorof Terrafix Ltd, stated, "We aredelighted after all the hard work tobe awarded this contract. For thefirst time within the UK we will beinstalling a complete in-vehiclecomputing system across acomplete ambulance service.“This means that all the electronicfunctions within an ambulance suchas AVL, Dispatch, SatNav, EPR,Telemedicine etc are linked withinthe vehicle and information is thenexported to all the relevant pointswithin the Scottish Executive HealthAuthority. This should enable crewsto spend more time with the patientand assist the ambulance service byautomatically capturing vitalstatistical data."

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David Burrows appointed business strategy director at Microsoft

Published: 
01 August, 2006

People Microsoft has appointed David Burrows as director of business strategy and marketing, UK PublicSector, Microsoft Ltd. Burrows moves to his newrole after spending six years as director ofeducation, Microsoft Ltd.Burrows will assume responsibility for drivingthe long-term business strategy for Microsoft’s continued commitment to the UK public sector. Avanquest UK appoints Andy Whiteside to join Corporate Sales Team, which is based at the company’s Winchester office. Chris Thompson,Managing Director, Avanquest comments "Andy’s expertise in the voice processing industry will be a real asset to ourgrowing team and help to improve on the already impressive businessgrowth we achieved during 2005." Secude IT Security GmbH has confirmed theappointment of Eric Kang,one of world’s leading experts in SAP security, director SAP Security Technology.

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Unfavourable mobile phone survey from SBES

Published: 
01 August, 2006

Lone worker survey reveals dissatisfaction with mobile phone technology. SBES, the lone worker protection system specialist, conducted a quick-fire survey at this year’s Safety & Health Expo. The survey has revealed that an amazing majority of organisations that have a lone worker system in place are not satisfied that it meets their requirements. Of the people SBES surveyed, 100% had lone workers in their business, and of these respondents, 96% had some sort of lone worker protection system in place. Of these, 16% had a paper-based system, 67% had a mobile phone based system and 3% had both. The most significant point from the responses is that none of the respondents believed that these systems met their requirements. This is placed into context when you consider that of the people surveyed, 25% had experienced a lone worker incident in their organisation Peter Swan, CEO of SBES said, "While I am sure that most people can see the obvious deficiencies of a paper-based system, it is the number of people that are dissatisfied with their mobile phone-type solution that is a real worry. Mobile phones may have revolutionised personal and business communication but the problems that they have in terms of signal strength, range and battery power make them largely unsuited to loneworker protection. Plus, they simply do not have features such as an incapacity alert or a tilt sensor to indicate if a worker is rendered unconscious for example.”

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ALCATEL completes RAILTEL contract

Published: 
01 August, 2006

Alcatel has successfully completed the 5,000 km extension of the existing optical multi-service telecommunications transport network of RAILTEL Corporation of India. This network enhancement further supports RAILTEL's operational and business communication requirements, such as secure voice, video and data traffic transmission. Alcatel has also been awarded a contract to install safety and communications systems for the railway bypass around Burgos, Spain, a section of the North-Northwest high-speed corridor. The Euro 12.4 million project awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Transport will be implemented within the next 24 months. Numara Software has disclosed details of thecontinued success itenjoys within the UK not-for-profit sector, with 46customers. NumaraSoftware's Track-It! helpsbusinesses regain controltheir disparate softwareand hardware IT assetswhilst providing help deskand reporting tools thatcan help lead to a moreefficient and effective IT support structure. Northgate InformationSolutions, has beenawarded a contract worthclose to £1m over fiveyears by the London Borough of Croydon to provide a new andimproved revenues and benefits service for its customers.

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ATDI celebrates ten years

Published: 
01 August, 2006

ATDI celebrates 10 years. Senior figures from the Civil Aviation Authority, Motorola, Ofcom and others attended ATDI’s tenth anniverary celebrations at Hever Castle in Kent. John Berry, managing director of ATDI Ltd, said, "The stature of the people who havejoined us to celebrate is remarkable. When you consider that the average life-span for a new company is 2 years this really is our coming of age. To me, this celebration is a compliment not just to the serviceand products we offer but to the fact that, as a small company, we have personal relationships with all of our customers."

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Seville International Airport selects SEPURA

Published: 
01 August, 2006

Flying with Sepura Seville International Airport, part of the AENA group, has just become Sepura’s latest customer in Spain. Sepura’s range of robust hand-held radios have proven popular with many leading aviation players.

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Hemming acquires BAPCO

Published: 
01 August, 2006

New home for Journal In a strategic move to enhance the marketing activities of BAPCO,The Hemming Group has acquired the license to publish The BAPCO Journal.The Group’s exhibition division, Brintex, already organises theannual BAPCO Conference and Exhibition and this recent acquisitionis set to enhance the already successful publication.Commenting on the announcement, Graham Bond, managing director of the Hemming Group’s publishing division, said, "We are delighted to bring The BAPCO Journal under our banner and see this moveas an important step forwards. It allows us to work even closer with BAPCOto offer its members a co-ordinated package of member benefits and willthus ensure the future success of the magazine exhibition and conference."The importance of communications and information managementwithin the public safety sector across the UK maintains a high profile,and The Journal’s reputation as the leading title to disseminateaccurate and detailed information is certain to benefit from thismove. The Hemming Group already publishes leading titles in the local government and emergency services sectors, such as TheMunicipal Journal and Fire & Rescue, and their synergies with TheJournal will undoubtedly help enhance the standing of both themagazine and the association.Continuing Bond said, "The Editor, Dawn Read, has also agreed to movewith the magazine, which was vital to the future of the publication and willensure a smooth transition. The publication already has a successfulfollowing that we will now build upon."

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Intelligent software from Memex

Published: 
01 August, 2006

Intelligent software: In recognising the benefitsof embedded GIS elementfor law enforcementcustomers, Memex hasjoined the ESRI UKDeveloper NetworkProgramme to develop an advanced intelligence software tool. Through its membership to the EDNprogramme, Memex hasaccess to ESRI (UK)’sentire library of developerGIS software.

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London Assembly Report into 7/7

Published: 
01 August, 2006

The recent London Assembly report into 7/7 considered Airwave to be “An essential element of effective communications within and between the emergencyservices". Now Scottish Ministers and the National Assembly for Wales have signed up their respective Fire and Rescue Services to the Airwave service.

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The impact of terrorism

Published: 
01 August, 2006

The impact of terrorism July 7th was remembered in the UK and across the world as a sensitive reminder of the horror of 'Terrorism' and the impact it has on the public in terms of safety and security. Such acts test our Emergency Services to their respective limits and it is to their great credit that they respond so well which is appreciated by the general public at large. At the heart of any incident and it's eventual successful outcome is 'Communications'. At any debrief of an incident a series of issues connected with communications will ensure serious debate. BAPCO's whole existence revolves around communications within the Emergency Services and with the advent of the 'Civil Contingencies Act' includes a large number of other agencies. All our workshops, which will be held again in autumn, will be directed to ensuring we are assisting the debate about improving our communications assisted by our large 'User Community'. I urge to attend one of these workshops and your presence and the experience you will bring will be a direct benefit to other participants. August is a time for holidays and reflection and I hope you enjoy the well earned rest

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