£6bn plan for new 999 radios ‘puts lives at risk’

A £6BILLION project to replace radios used by the 999 services with a system that uses the 4G mobile phone network has been condemned as ‘reckless’ and ‘short-sighted’ amid fears it could put lives at risk.

The Home Office is planning to overhaul communications for emergency teams within two years. But police chiefs, crime tsars and industry experts say that the project is being rushed through to save money. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that:

Civil servants are insisting that police forces start moving to the new system by next year – even before there is full coverage across the country, despite warnings by Chief Constables.

The public will be left struggling to call 999 in a disaster, as they will be using the same 4G networks as emergency services, who will take priority.

Police insiders are concerned that the new system may not work on the London Underground, as was required after 7/7.

Last night, Shadow Police Minister Jack Dromey warned: ‘The replacement process has been a disaster from the outset. The Government is taking a reckless gamble with public safety.’

Former Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Peter Neyroud added: ‘Emergency services communications are one of the most critical parts of our national infrastructure. Short-sighted decisions, driven by cuts, will put the public at risk.’

The current network, called Airwave, ensures that 999 staff can call control centres and colleagues from the most remote parts of the country. There are backups in case of power failure, the network is not shared with consumers and it works underground. But it costs £450million a year and only allows for voice calls and not the exchange of data such as video.

Serving chief constables have expressed concern over the new system. At a private meeting of the National Police Chiefs’ Council in April, the Home Office told forces to ‘consider beginning transition before coverage was in place everywhere in Great Britain, in order to maximise financial savings’. Minutes of the discussion state: ‘[Chief Constables] reiterated ongoing concerns over coverage, costing implications [and] timescales for transition.’

Critical communications expert Peter Clemons said it was wrong to place emergency services and the public on the same network: ‘In the worst case scenario the whole network will collapse.’

But Policing Minister Mike Penning insisted: “The new network . . . will be significantly cheaper, more comprehensive and more resilient.’