ECHO is now supporting over 250,000 police intruder and Hold-up alarm system URNs (Unique Reference Numbers), organisers report.
To recap briefly, ECHO is short for Electronic Call Handling Operations Ltd, a ‘not for profit’ set up by industry for the facilitating of faster and more efficient transfer of emergency alarms to police for response, from the (so far) seven ECHO-connected police forces. First were Avon and Somerset, Essex Police and the Metropolitan Police, and four more forces – City of London, Northumbria, Bedfordshire and Kent – have recently become ECHO-connected.
According to police estimates, that delivers time savings of up to four minutes in response times to ‘confirmed’ alarm activations. To explain briefly, the ECHO service automatically transfers alarm activation signals from Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs) to ECHO-connected police control rooms. That’s replacing legacy manual voice calling procedures, with all the potential for delay and human error.
Richard Jenkins, ECHO Director and chief of the National Security Inspectorate (NSI), pictured, said: “As ECHO’s pioneering service continues to increase its reach and deliver efficiencies across more regions of the UK, in support of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s policy requirements, we welcome and recognise adoption of this new technology as a facilitator of faster police response and crime deterrence.
“The expanded service now supports over 250,000 Intruder and Hold-up alarm systems in residential, commercial and public sector buildings at the end of its first full calendar year of operation – 2022. The seven ECHO-connected police forces are offering homeowners, commercial and publicly operated premises a greater degree of assurance with speedier and more effective police response.”
The NSI, one of the industry bodies behind ECHO, adds that over a million active residential and commercial users of professionally installed intruder and hold-up alarm systems (installed by an NSI- or SSAIB-approved installer) are set to benefit as more police forces across the UK get ECHO-connected during 2023-24.
Approved installers are encouraged to check with their ARC providers regarding ECHO support for their customers’ intruder and hold-up alarm systems. Visit www.echo.uk.net.
