Mobile data for the emergency services

This article reviews some of the issues relating to the development and use of mobile voice and data communications by the emergency services with specific reference to the police service. Techniques such as data based dispatching are in widespread use by some organisations but are resisted by the emergency services due to a clash with the perceived need for all informed, open channel working. Future digital trunked radio systems, based upon TETRA or GSM standards, will restrict the widespread use of all informed channels and nets but will provide infinitely secure communications, in comparison to those in use today