The government has launched a £5m health-monitoring
programme for police officers using the Airwave digital radio
system.
Airwave is
operational in eight forces and will be rolled out to all 53 forces
in England, Scotland and Wales by the end of 2005.
The
monitoring programme has been welcomed by the Police Federation,
which represents 128,000 officers in England and Wales. The
federation has pushed for extensive monitoring ever since fears
were raised about the potential health impact of Airwave during
trials with Lancashire police.
Last year
the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee warned that it was
not clear who would be responsible if health fears surrounding the
system were justified.
Imperial
College London will carry out a more a detailed study of 150
officers to determine whether Airwave signals have any effect on
the well being of users.
Academics
will also monitor 100,000 police officers for 15 years, in what the
the government said would be the largest study of its kind in the
UK.
"We have
already undertaken research that shows that Airwave is safe to use
- we are investing in this groundbreaking health-monitoring
programme to provide further reassurance to users about long-term
safety," Home Office minister Bob Ainsworth said.
The
University of Birmingham and the University of Manchester are also
undertaking research measuring the radio talk time of officers
during typical shifts. Their research, which began in March, will
feed directly into the national health-monitoring programme.