Motorola Solutions Joins Fight against Pirates and Smugglers in Seychelles
Seychelles Police choose innovative mission-critical communications technology from Motorola Solutions to support public safety across 115 islands and Indian Ocean.
The Seychelles islands face the threat of pirates hijacking local fishing boats and organized crime gangs using the many isolated beaches to traffic illegal drugs. To equip police with real-time information to fight against crime, the Government of the Republic of Seychelles has deployed a Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) MOTOTRBO digital radio system to enhance police communications.
The communications network will be the first to cover the demanding geography of the Seychelles’ 115 islands and surrounding areas in the Indian Ocean, enabling improved dispatch of officers across land and sea for rapid and effective response to criminal activities.
Joel Morgan, Minister for Home Affairs and Transport, The Seychelles said: “The deployment of this network is a milestone in the history of our police force, another big step forward in its quest toward modernization and a big boost to its general field operations.”
Patrolling the region has been an ongoing challenge for the police force where mountainous island terrain severely disrupts analogue radio and cellular communications coverage. Designed and installed by Communication Specialists Limited (Comm-Spec), the reach of the new digital radio network was extended with MOTOTRBO DR 3000 repeaters. These provide more than 30,000 square kilometers of radio coverage, blanketing the islands and surrounding ocean for the first time.
“By deploying a dedicated MOTOTRBO integrated digital radio network the police now have access to real-time communications that provide a seamless, reliable, scalable and secure alternative to the islands’ previously inconsistent analogue radio and cellular networks,” says Tim Clark, director, sales channel products & programmes, Europe and Africa, Motorola Solutions.
The investment in the digital radio system is also helping to reduce unplanned costs for the Seychelles Police. Previously, when analogue radios failed to connect, police officers would rely on personal cell phones to make calls to headquarters, despite often poor cellular coverage and high call costs incurred by the officers and the department. With digital radio connectivity assured throughout the Seychelles, officers can now depend on their MOTOTRBO radios to stay in contact.
The MOTOTRBO radio system now connects more than 800 police officers with dispatch at Police Headquarters in the Islands’ capital, Victoria. The MOTOTRBO DP3601 portable two-way radios deliver reliable integrated data communications and enhanced voice capability for Seychelles police officers. Comm-Spec also introduced the Very High Frequency (VHF) version of the MOTOTRBO DP4801 to the force’s radio fleet delivering best-in-class audio with integrated Global Positioning System (GPS). Police vehicles were installed with MOTOTRBO DM4401 mobile radios.
All radios deliver advanced location-based services, including geo-fencing, enabling the control centre to track, monitor and, should an officer’s status unexpectedly change, respond quickly throughout the islands. Using the TRBOnet Communication System, an application developed specifically for public safety dispatch centers, the Seychelles Police are also able to link multiple agencies or departments at the touch of a button, making response during emergency situations quick and effective.
