TETRA  |  2013-08-22

TETRON TETRA infrastructure in Vienna, Niederösterreich and Tirol ready

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

At the same time security needs of the Austrians have increased. The Austrian Rechnungshof reviewed the technical and human resources of the police emergency call.

Austria's population uses more often the phone and calls the emergencies services for help. Also witnesses of a crime are increasingly alerting the police. Nationwide emergency calls nationwide have increased from 2,531,127 to 3,006,240 during the period from 2009.

This proves that the security needs of the Austrians have increased. As this trend became apparent, the Rechnungshof reviewed the technical and human resources of the police emergency call. This week Tuesday recommendations and criticisms have been published in a so called Rechnungshof (RH) dossier. The focus of the RH report are the "establishment of central control centres in all provinces" and the "use and development of a unified control system."

Doris Grabherr, spokeswoman for the RH explains: "Every day available police personnel in the control centres should be known. Around the clock. Thus, the operations of these centres are able to coordinate efficiently. "Currently county and city command posts are mainly informed about the immediate availability of personnel.

There is also a deficit in the early in the night between 23:00 hrs and 02:00. In 2012, the incoming emergency calls were received by 15 percent slower than in 2009 - this, because of staff constraints. Furthermore, the RH of the Interior Ministry suggested a nationwide electronic detection service in order to minimise the time-intensive services and bureaucracy.

According to the country's Interior Ministry, control centres should be ready in the 2nd quarter of 2015. Karl-Heinz Grundböck, Interior Ministry spokesman: "We are off and on schedule." For the technical upgrade of the police emergency call, four million euros are made available. Grundböck further announced that for the ten upcoming years  the problem is solved: "It's about digital TETRA radio (Tetron Note). In Vienna, Lower Austria and Tyrol, the infrastructure is ready. With the other provinces, negotiations are ongoing as for rescue and fire services, the counties are financially responsible."

Source: MCCResources