Police backlash against Tetra

The Home Office is under fire over its proposals for the police's next-generation radio communications network.

Police forces reacted angrily to the cost of rolling out BT's £2.3bn Tetra network (Network News, 15 March), for the Public Safety Radio Communications Project (PSRCP). The network will give police users mobile access to the police national computer, and links to other emergency service organisations.In an exclusive statement to Network News, Paul Friday, head of IS for West Yorkshire Police, said: "The Home Office has guaranteed the payment for the core service contract to BT by taking the money from the police service budget. I would be happy to take you out to lunch on the same terms: I pay - using your money."

Arguing that the cost of PSRCP to West Yorkshire is equivalent to 450 officers during roll out, or an average of 210 officers over the duration of the contract, he warned: "The complaints are not so much about the money, but about the impact of this cost. With no additional funding, the only way many forces will be able to pay for PSRCP is by reducing the number of police officers."

However, while Chris Fox, chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, agreed that funding for the project would need to be increased, he argued that the benefits of the network would offset any job cuts: "It might mean employing less people, but if they can work more efficiently by not having to spend as much time in the office with paperwork, then that'll be the balance."