Data sharing in the future: BAPCO 2006

The annual conference and exhibition organised by the British Association of Public Safety Communications Officers (BAPCO), is expecting record attendances. Europe’s premier event for professionals working in public safety communications and information management technology takes place from April 25-27 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London.

The BAPCO event will feature more than 90 exhibitors, showcasing the latest technology, systems and services designed for the public safety communications sector. With public safety partnerships and multi-agency initiatives increasingly promoted by the Government – largely though legislation such as the Civil Contingencies Act – there is now a legal duty on services to increase the level of co-operation. To reflect this the BAPCO Conference will explore issues such as communications resilience, intercommunication, interoperability and operational continuity. Digital communication systems, state-of-the-art data applications, micro-technology and technological advances for the future will come under discussion, while there will also be a focus on moves to professionalise call handling and contact management through accreditation and training.

Police Professional spoke to some of the exhibitors at this year’s event, to find out more about the latest developments and new technology that will be on show.

Arqiva’s Public Safety Group has chosen BAPCO to launch a new mobile data solution for police forces across the UK that provides a seamless flow between the control room and mobile devices. Arqiva’s solution allows police officers to carry out essential data applications, such as confirming suspects’ details whilst out on the street. Visitors to Arqiva’s stand will be able to see demonstrations of the solution and to find out more about the technology behind it. This technology has the capacity to aid front line communications for the UK’s emergency services, government agencies and commercial organisations who depend on mission-critical communications.

Alongside the Police Mobile Data Solution, Arqiva will also be showcasing a number of new services and products including a Fully Managed Asset Tracker Database with browser accessible customer interface, a CDR Analysis Service and a Coverage Analysis service.

Motorola will also be providing a live demonstration, in this case to underline the capabilities of its new rugged personal digital assistant (PDA) device (pictured below left), the first to operate on TETRA networks. The robust PDA provides pocket-sized access to essential two-way data applications while on the move, and follows in the tradition of Motorola’s well-established TETRA hand-portable radios used across the UK.

A spokesperson for Motorola said: “The PDA has been developed to meet the rugged requirements of public safety organisations that need secure access to real-time information on the move. Users can access person and vehicle records, report crimes and accidents, and issue penalty tickets via the PDA’s application suite. This functionality meets public safety users’ targets to spend more time on visible, active patrol and increase daily productivity.”

Other Motorola demonstrations include a live operational MESH network, WAP and GPS technology ‘MotoLocator’ while visitors to the stand will also be able to test run some of the latest biometric technology.

Communications provider APD will also be showcasing its Polaris product at BAPCO; based on proven technology, the product is a suite of mobile data applications that gives officers on patrol immediate two-way access to key information, without having to rely on voice communications with their control room or returning to police premises. Alongside the new addition of suitability for PDA devices, Polaris also runs on tablet/laptop computers and fixed in-vehicle touch-screen terminals, and is network independent, supporting TETRA Airwave, GPRS and BT Redcare.

A spokesman for APD told Police Professional: