Police force to trial live streaming footage from 999 callers

A PILOT scheme allowing members of the public to live stream footage and images of an unfolding incident during a 999 call directly to a police control room has been launched by a Welsh force.

Gwent Police said it was the first force in the UK to trial 999eye, which was initially developed by West Midlands Fire Service and communications company Capita PageOne for fire related incidents.

It is hoped the system, which allows 999 callers to use their smartphones to stream footage direct to the force control room, will provide operators with an accurate picture of an unfolding emergency and help to save lives.

Head of the Gwent Police force control room, superintendent Ian Roberts said it was “fantastic” the force was leading the way “in piloting such an advanced piece of technology”. “In addition to transforming the way 999 calls are dealt with, 999eye will also provide crucial evidence to support ongoing investigations, bringing significant benefits to officers, 999 callers and members of the public,” he said.

The new service allows operators to send a caller a text message containing a secure link which can be clicked to established a live stream, allowing footage, which is not then stored on the caller’s phone, to be sent directly to the control room.

999eye also provides the emergency service with precise GPS coordinates, helping pinpoint the caller’s exact location and if the caller has poor signal, allows photographs to be sent via the link instead.

CEO of PageOne, Chris Jones, described 999eye as “ground-breaking”.

He said: “999eye is simple and secure to use. It allows control room operators, who are under considerable time pressure to see the incident, helping them allocate the correct resources – in an emergency, saving time could save lives.”

The first phase of Gwent Police’s two-month pilot focuses on emergency 999 calls while phase two, due to start at the end of the month, will include both 999 and 101 calls.