Personal Radios
Personal radio systems were first issued to police officers and installed in police cars in the 1960s (resulting in the demise of the "police box" telephones made famous by Doctor Who). In 2004, British police forces began change radios from analogue, to digital TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) system for communications, called Airwave.
Prior to the introduction of Airwave, all police radio systems were force-specific, with limited capacity for forces to talk to neighbours or to facilitate working in groups away from the direction of the control room. Interoperability with other emergency services was also poor, and was criticised in reports after the Hillsborough and Kings Cross disasters. Most forces’ equipment could not transfer data or text messages – a growing operational requirement. Few had any form of encryption and were open to listening in by anyone prepared to buy cheap scanning equipment. In addition, almost every force had areas in which the police and other emergency services operated without effective radio coverage.
By the end of 2004, the majority of the existing police radio spectrum, which was subject to serious interference in some areas, was to be withdrawn and replaced by a new spectrum of superior quality, dedicated to use by public safety organisations, on which users would be required to use digital equipment. Knowledge of this change reinforced the need, already identified by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Home Office, for a new radio strategy. A Review of Radio Communications in the Police and Fire Services of England and Wales was inaugurated, a parallel review was carried out in Scotland, and the Public Safety Radio Communications Project was born. The radios proved exceptional during the 2005 London bombings.
From the 1990s, officers frequently carried mobile phones in addition to their personal radio units.
Read more about this topic: Police Uniforms And Equipment In The United Kingdom
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