05 February 2019

The cloud-based solution aims to simplify management and reduce costs while increasing operational efficiency for Lincolnshire Police.

G4S has awarded Motorola Solutions a 10-year contract to deliver the UK’s first cloud-based, integrated Command Central Control Room Solution (CRS).

Lincolnshire Police will use the platform to benefit from a continuous workflow experience. It’s claimed the solution will enable control room operators to handle calls faster, make more informed decisions, allocate resources more efficiently as well as coordinate seamlessly with other support organisations.

Motorola says its CRS provides a unified and “highly scalable” platform that integrates multiple control room functions, including integrated communications control system, contact management, computer-aided dispatch, mapping and call logging.

The company adds that as the first cloud based system of its kind used by a UK police force, CRS will also “significantly simplify” management for Lincolnshire Police’s IT team. For example, the ‘as-a service’ scalability and flexibility benefits of cloud mean it is no longer necessary to predetermine how many fixed positions or how much data capacity is required, says Motorola.

Furthermore, it says there is no need for a dedicated backup in the case of a site failure. This helps Lincolnshire Police reduce costs and increase operational flexibility.

“Our drive to provide cutting-edge technology to the force is about making sure we provide the most efficient and effective service to the people of Lincolnshire,” says Marc Jones, police and crime commissioner for Lincolnshire Police. “The new command and control system is one important step in that journey and will allow the chief to get assistance to those in need quicker than ever before – and armed with the right information to handle the situation.”

As well as deploying Motorola’s CRS, Lincolnshire Police is also a current user of the company’s Pronto suite of mobile workforce applications that digitise all frontline operational workflows. This is integrated with the control room platform, which means that officers using Pronto can now also gain direct access to command and control, and the Police National Computer from the field.

The solution also sets Lincolnshire up to use the enhanced data capabilities of the Emergency Services Network (ESN), although this has now been delayed (seeNews, Oct 2018 issue).