The Minister will visit Westminster Underground Station today (January 14) to see the Airwave system in action, now it has been rolled-out across the entire Underground network. The success of Airwave in the London Underground, which has been delivered ahead of schedule, will enable London police forces to better protect the public by responding to major incidents and events wherever they are on the network. Vernon Coaker said: "The Airwave system plays a vital part in keeping passengers safe. It allows police officers to communicate with each other quickly and safely to ensure an effective response to any incident. "I am very pleased to announce that the system is now fully functioning ahead of schedule, helping frontline officers build on the excellent work they already do to tackle crime. "Crime is down on the Underground and with the roll-out of Airwave, passengers can feel even more confident that every effort is being made to keep them safe as they travel around the Capital." The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has worked closely with London Underground and suppliers to make Airwave work in all London Underground stations. Airwave in the London Underground works in conjunction with London Underground's own communications system, Connect. The dual-system allowed NPIA to deliver this initiative cost effectively, quickly and efficiently. Chief Constable Peter Neyroud, Chief Executive of the NPIA said: "Extending Airwave to the London underground is a major step forward in protecting the public and supporting frontline police officers. Clear police radio communication is vital for an effective emergency service. "Police officers need to be able to speak to each other and other emergency services at all times to ensure a swift and co-ordinated response to any incident." Managing Director of London Underground, Tim O'Toole said: "London Underground (LU) and the Home Office together with partners had the foresight to fund works to facilitate the link-up between Airwave and our new radio system prior to the Airwave contract being signed because of the benefits we knew it would deliver. It is a great achievement that not only has Airwave been delivered across the Tube network but that it has been delivered five months ahead of schedule. "We continue to work extremely hard with the police and security Deputy Chief Constable of British Transport Police, Andy Trotter said: "Radio communications underground has been key to helping the BTP protect the public in the London underground. "This initiative will enable the police service to further improve on this by enabling better communication between forces. This approach will help tackle more crime, improve frontline policing, public safety and increase public confidence." Boris Johnson, Mayor of London said: "The completion of Airwave is good news for Londoners as it further increases the ability of our emergency services to operate on the underground network. Our police service will now have radio coverage at all 125 below ground Underground stations, which allow them to work ever more effectively." Tony McNulty, Minister for London said: "One of the key lessons from the London bombings of 2005 was the need to enhance the resilience of responders' telecommunications systems and communication underground. I am therefore delighted to see that this system is now fully in place, ahead of schedule, with the result that London is even more resilient and better prepared ". About NPIA The organisation's creation in April 2007 streamlined and simplified the way that policing improvement is delivered locally and nationally. NPIA works for the police service and is governed by a tripartite board comprising ACPO, APA, Home Office and independent members. The ACPO President is a member of the NPIA Board. In 2007, the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) together with TfL began the installation of Airwave (the secure radio network) into 125 sub-surface stations. The roll-out was completed in October 2008 and end-to-end line testing in December 2008. The life time cost of the project is £107 million. This includes installation and running costs to 2018. The system is available to the emergency services. British Transport Police figures show crime levels on London Underground fell by 11 per cent in 2007/8. There is less than one crime on the network for every 60,000 passenger journeys.
Airwave is a secure radio service that is used by the police service in England, Scotland and Wales. The system in London Underground allows police officers to move seamlessly from above to below ground without having to make any changes to their radio settings.
The system has proved invaluable in large scale events such as New Year's Eve, the Notting Hill Carnival and football matches.
services to keep the Tube as safe as possible."
NPIA is a single national organisation created to support effective policing. It provides expertise in areas as diverse as information and communications technology, support to information and intelligence sharing, core police processes, managing change and recruiting, developing and deploying people.
About Airwave in the London Underground
Airwave in the London Underground (ALU) is a project to install the radio service available to the emergency services into the sub-surface stations of the underground. A project was initiated which brought together the National Policing Improvement Agency, Airwave Solutions, London Underground and its suppliers; the Citylink consortium. The aim was to enable the three London forces, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) British Transport Police (BTP) and the City of London Police to use radio communications underground.
