Comedian dies after car crash Delayed £11bn 999 radio system now ‘out of date’

COMEDIAN Gareth Richards has died after a car crash.

Last weekend, former Absolute Radio show co-host Frank Skinner told listeners his friend had been in a “big road accident” on March 27.

Gareth, 41, sustained serious brain injuries in the smash on the M25 near Heathrow.

Yesterday, his wife Laura confirmed his death on Facebook.

She wrote: “The damage was so severe doctors would have to remove supportive medications and allow him to be at peace.”

A PLANNED multi-billion-pound radio system for 999 teams has been delayed for so long it is already out of date, police chiefs say.

The Emergency Services Network, first announced in 2015, will actually make it harder for officers to do their jobs and will undermine “operational safety”, MPS have been warned.

The system was due to be ready by 2020 but has been delayed until at least 2026.The Home Office has spent £2billion on it so far, and admits the total cost of creating and maintaining the system could reach £11billion.

But advances in technology mean that police are better off using existing phones and laptops, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

The organisation, which represents chief constables across England and Wales, revealed its misgivings in a paper to MPS.

It said: “Police mobile data technology has improved significantly... and almost all forces now have mobile data solutions delivered via tablets, laptops and smartphones, enabling officers and staff to access policing systems on the move.”

And police chiefs criticised the decision to create a single device which is supposed to replace a range of existing equipment.

They said: “The lack of resilience of a single device, the impact on battery consumption and the operational safety compromises are too high for it to be the chosen route for an officer’s mission-critical voice service.”

The new communications method is designed to replace a radio system called Airwave, used by all 108 police, fire and ambulance services across England, Scotland and Wales.

But police chiefs questioned its need, saying: “The current Airwave radio solution delivers this mission-critical service, the coverage is sufficient and, broadly speaking, the service is stable.”

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee is holding an inquiry following the publication of a report last month by watchdog the National Audit Office.

It warned that the Home Office “does not currently know when Emergency Services Network will be ready or how much it will cost”.

But a Home Office spokesperson said: “The Emergency Services Network will provide first responders with better technology and faster access to life-saving data in emergency situations, helping to keep the public safe.

“While much of the core network has already been built, we are committed to addressing the delays and working closely with our partners to provide better value for money for the taxpayer.”