Airwave, the £2.9bn Tetra-based communications network
for every police force in England, Scotland and Wales, has been
completed on time and to budget.
Welcoming completion of the five-year project, Home Office
minister Caroline Flint said, "Airwave provides modern, secure and
efficient radio communications for police officers across the
country. There are already 100,000 users of the system and
eventually every police officer will benefit."
The system allows officers throughout the country to communicate
directly with each other regardless of location, and cuts
bureaucracy by freeing up frontline officer time as they don't have
to go back to the office to file data.
Chief constable Sean Price of Cleveland Police and the Police
Service’s lead for Airwave said, "Airwave provides us with much
better coverage and clarity through the use of secure and reliable
communication of both voice and data. It is a great advantage to
officers in their day-to-day work and is highly significant in
making them and our communities safer."
The Police Information Technology Organisation has managed the
contract between O2 Airwave and police forces on behalf of the Home
Office.