TETRA  |  2013-07-26

London Metropolitan Police loses 2,125 Airwave TETRA radios since 2006

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

In cases where the radio is believed to have fallen into criminal hands, the radio can be disabled immediately via the Managed Radio Services Help Desk

Met Police loses 2,125 Airwave radios since 2006, according to Freedom of Information Request disclosure.


According to the Directorate of Information at the Metropolitan Police, 2,125 Airwave radios have been lost, stolen or are unaccounted for, since 2006.


An audit in November 2011 revealed a staggering 694 lost radios, which brought the total for the year to 992.



According to Airwave Radio - Standard Operating Procedure, lost/stolen/unaccounted radios must be reported ‘without delay’, to ensure the Airwave infrastructure is not compromised and to maintain the security of the information.


In cases where the radio is believed to have fallen into criminal hands, the radio can be disabled immediately via the Managed Radio Services Help Desk. According to procedure, attempts to trace the terminal should take no more than one hour before it is disabled.


As for accounting, the SOP explicitly states that every Airwave radio terminal is an accountable item and as such the Local Terminal Custodian must know its whereabouts and who is responsible for it.


Source: BAPCO