NCJ Number
69108
Journal
POLIZEI TECHNIK VERKEHR Dated: (MAY 5, 1977) Pages: 184-188
Date Published
1977
Length
5 pages
Annotation
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE BRITISH DIRECTORATE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND DEVICES USED BY POLICE TO IMPROVE RAPID COMMUNICATIONS ARE DESCRIBED.
Abstract
THE DIRECTORATE WAS FOUNDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SIXTIES TO ASSIST THE AUTONOMOUS BRITISH POLICE HEADQUARTERS, FIRE DEPARTMENTS, RESCUE SERVICES, AND CIVIL DEFENSE WITH TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROBLEMS. THE DIRECTORATE IS DIVIDED INTO SECTIONS FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, ENGINEERING, INSTALLATION, REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE, AND ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE. EQUIPMENT IS OBTAINED, INSTALLED, AND REPAIRED BY THE DIRECTORATE, WHICH CHARGES POLICE HEADQUARTERS FOR THIS SERVICE. COSTS FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ARE COVERED BY THE HOME OFFICE. DEVICE TESTING IS METICULOUS, AND RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ARE PRACTICE-ORIENTED. DEVICES TESTED BY THE SPECIAL MOBILE AUTOMATIC DATA EXPERIMENT AND DESCRIBED HERE INCLUDE A DEVICE FOR TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING CODED MESSAGES, A MOBILE DATA PRINTER FOR SQUAD CAR USE, A TOUCH MAP FOR ELECTRONIC DETERMINATION OF VEHICLE LOCATION, AND AN ALPHANUMERIC INPUT RECEIVER TERMINAL AND SOFT COPY DEVICE TO PERMIT MOBILE CORRECTION OF REPORTS. FOR PROPER USE, THE DEVICES MUST BE INTEGRATED INTO THE EXISTING SQUAD CAR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM. THE MOST MODERN COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM INSTALLED THUS FAR IS THAT OF THE STRATHCLYDE POLICE IN GLASGOW; THE GREATEST IMPROVEMENT HAS BEEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN OVERVIEW SYSTEM TO SHOW AVAILABILITY AND LOCATION OF MOBILE UNITS ON A DISPLAY. A FURTHER ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM IS THE AUTOMATIC DATA EVALUATION FEATURE USEFUL FOR MANAGEMENT PURPOSES. ACCESS TO OVERVIEWS IS LIMITED TO AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL. A MICROFILM STORAGE VIDEO DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR PICTURES, MAPS, AND PLANS OF THE WARWICKSHIRE POLICE IS MORE CONVENIENT AND LESS EXPENSIVE THAN COMPUTER STORAGE SLIDE PROJECTION SYSTEMS. A COMPUTERIZED TELEPRINTER SYSTEM HAS BEEN INTRODUCED IN SURREY, SUSSEX, AND KENT, BUT THE BRITISH POLICE TELETYPE SYSTEM IS RELATIVELY OUTMODED. INCREASED CONTACT AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE DIRECTORATE AND THE WEST GERMAN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE FOR POLICE TECHNOLOGY IS RECOMMENDED. ILLUSTRATIONS ARE SUPPLIED. --IN GERMAN.