Motorola Solutions Sets out a Vision of Smart Public Safety for a Digital Society, as it Celebrates its 50th UK Anniversary

Public safety agencies are under enormous pressure in an ever-changing world. Threats are getting more complex, populations are growing, budgets are under pressure, and constant scrutiny is leading to even greater demands for accountability.

Motorola Solutions believes the right information at the right time, supported by intelligent innovations can help relieve some of this burden. Automation can trigger a series of actions to make response times quicker, and big data can be analysed for trends and behaviours, to help identify the most significant and high priority threats. The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a public safety setting is transformative – enabling agencies to potentially predict incidents before they occur.

Smart Public Safety for a Digital Society

Motorola Solutions marks the opening of its Innovation Centre in London by setting out a vision of Smart Public Safety for a Digital Society.

The centre showcases technologies including CommandCentral Analytics, used to support decisions on areas to patrol; showing an application of AI working with Natural Language Processing software, to help officers interact with backend systems and retrieve critical intelligence; and Future Fire Incident Command Concept, demonstrating how the use of Mixed Reality technology by an Incident Commander at the scene can improve situational awareness and the safety of firefighters.

The event that took place explored how data and intelligent solutions can empower public safety organisations to more effectively predict and respond to incidents – even before they occur.

Motorola Solutions technologies showcased how innovations could free up time for public safety agencies. For example, in law enforcement these solutions span before, during and after an incident strengthening the chain of custody for evidence and ultimately helping improve the entire criminal justice system.

“Society is being transformed by technology, and public safety is too. Next-generation solutions can help public safety enhance workflow, boost efficiency and ultimately improve safety and outcomes,” explains Eduardo Conrado, EVP, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at ‎Motorola Solutions.

“Public safety organisations need not only the technology and tools to meet their evolving needs, but also a partner with specialised knowledge and experience to understand their challenges, find solutions and imagine new ways to get the job done.”

50 Years of Innovation in the UK

Motorola Solutions has a rich heritage of aiding public safety in the UK over the last five decades. Its innovations span pioneering cellular phones and systems in the mid-80s, to introducing the world’s first TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) nationwide digital radio network, which is the basis for Airwave – the network went live in 2005 based on Motorola Solutions´ TETRA technology and currently powers public safety communications in the country.

In 1994, the company developed radio, cable and antenna systems for the newly opened Channel Tunnel between England and France, and in 1998 CityLink Telecommunications consortium, which included Motorola, was selected to replace and manage the radio transmission services for the entire London Underground Tube network.

Meanwhile, in 2004, Motorola Solutions was selected to provide over 30,000 MTH800 digital radios for Metropolitan Police Service officers to use on the Airwave nationwide TETRA communications network. London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority’s command and control system went live in May that year and Motorola Solutions supplied and implemented the system.

In 2015, Motorola Solutions was chosen to provide user services, system integration and critical functionality for the UK’s next generation LTE Emergency Services Network (ESN).

In 2016, PRONTO, a mobile applications suite provided by Airwave for workflows in the field, now underpins over a third of the UK police forces. As the technology has become more widely adopted, police forces have seen a dramatic increase in officer efficiency – from vehicle registration checks and issuing speeding tickets, to testing for the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Motorola Solutions moved its Europe, Middle East and Africa regional headquarters to the heart of London in 2017.

“Over the past 50 years, we have developed close relationships with many public safety organisations and commercial customers in the UK,” said Phil Jefferson, vice president for Western Europe and North Africa, and country manager UK and Ireland at ‎Motorola Solutions. “We are proud to support the UK users with our communications, services and applications that will help make public safety and commercial users even more effective in their work to protect and assist UK citizens.”

Picture: Courtesey of Phil Jefferson