New network prepares Warwickshire Police for the future

Warwickshire Police have commenced a major project to replace their currently separate computer, telephone and CCTV networks. A single network carrying all data, voice and video traffic between police stations throughout the county and headquarters will soon take their place. When it is completed later this year, the force will be in a far better position to keep pace with advances in technology and to introduce new computer applications that will support officers and staff in their work. The project is being carefully implemented in stages so that policing throughout the county will not be affected while work is under way.

Although upgraded in 1999, the current computer network was installed in 1989 and has come under increasing pressure as more sophisticated computer applications and technology have been introduced. The telephone system also dates to the late 1980s and although subsequently enhanced by software upgrades, it now also needs replacing.

The new network will result in improved performance of all computers at all police stations and other force sites. Programs will work faster, so officers and staff will spend less time waiting and more time getting on with their work, whether in the station or out in the community. This will mainly be achieved through use of faster connections between headquarters and the stations and other sites.

The project will also introduce state of the art control room facilities for handling both 999 and non-emergency calls. These will lead to significant and immediate improvements in the service provided to the public by allowing more efficient call management and enabling police officers to work more flexibly. They will also help the force to achieve future public service improvement goals of its Citizen Focus Programme.

Performance improvements will also be complemented by high reliability in view of the force's dependence on its communication systems. The new network has been carefully designed to ensure that staff can continue communicating and accessing computer applications at all times. The supplier, Kingston Communications, will also be managing the network round the clock to ensure that it meets the force's requirements now and for many years to come.

Richard Elkin, Head of IT, Warwickshire Police said: "Having a robust, high-performance communications network is essential to meeting the ever-increasing demands of modern policing. Warwickshire has taken pre-emptive steps to modernise its network and introduce levels of performance and resilience that will satisfy force requirements well into the future. We are investing heavily in systems that support our officers and staff in carrying out their work and by doing so we are demonstrating again our commitment to making Warwickshire the safest place to be."