The Blue Light Zone Script for Unisys Web Site

00-00-1996

Written by Christopher Long for the Unisys Mobile Data Systems web site,
designed by Axcess Media Limited.

THE BLUE LIGHT ZONE

Twenty minutes of drama on a busy Saturday night at Police Control Centre in Thorpewick, East Yorkshire, England.

At 23:28:15 A control room operator receives a 999 call from an adult male reporting gun-shots and screams at a house in Tudor Vale Avenue. Refusing to give his name, or the number he is speaking from, he says he doesn't know the number of the house involved but that a car has just driven past him at high speed near a pub on the corner.

At 23:28:32 The operator, in front of a Mobidata control screen, has a map of the entire Thorpewick region permanently on screen in front of her. Thanks to satellite transmitter devices carried by all police officers and vehicles, she can see all their current locations. Keeping the witness talking for the vital seconds it takes for the phone box number to appear, she clicks once on the screen to bring up a more detailed map of the Tudor Vale area. She confirms that there's a pub and a phone box on the the corner of Tudor Vale Avenue and she follows on-line prompt boxes to log all the details of the caller's report.

At 23:29:15 Just before the caller hangs up he adds that he can see a woman running from the front door of the house. Another click and a still more detailed map now shows that only three houses would be visible to him from the phone box. She transfers the whole report to the screen of a dispatch operator next to her.

At 23:29:29 The dispatch operator, watching the same Mobidata map system and log report, sees that he has two beat constables, one panda car and one unmarked vehicle in the vicinity all unarmed. Using the secure, digital Mobicom radio system he scrambles an armed response unit in a van at the police HQ and alerts the helicopter support unit at East Yorkshire Airport. He calls in another six vehicles from other patrols to approach the area, tape it off and deny all public access. All foot patrols and the panda car are ordered to watch for or track the speeding car which, according to his map must be heading south. All these East Yorkshire force vehicles, including the helicopter, are fitted with a small Mobidata screen identical to the ones in the control room. They can see the map and the constantly updated details of the reported incident, tracking the position and progress of their colleagues. The secure Mobicom GSM communications system keeps them in touch with the control room and each other.

At 23:30:03 The satellite tracking unit now shows the armed response unit van on its way and tracks the panda car as it reports that it's pursuing a fast moving blue saloon. The co-ordinator scrambles the helicopter and orders the unmarked police car to make an observation cruise past the house in Tudor Vale Avenue.

At 23:30:28 Meanwhile, the Mobidata control room system has had direct access to CRO, HOMES and the East Yorkshire Police intelligence databases which reports that the suspect house and present occupants have records of violent incidents no record of firearms licences the owner being female, 28, the girlfriend of a club owner, recently released after doing 18 months for possession of stolen vehicles.

At 23:36:10 The police intelligence reports are also available on the screens of all the vehicles involved. The unmarked car reports picking up a teenage female 200 yards from the house. The armed response vehicle reports deployment of its team around the house. And because everyone involved is equipped with the Mobidata and Mobicom system, the incident coordinator can now temporarily transfer command to any unit in this case to the helicopter, now overhead, which can see the whole scene and is currently providing tannoy public warnings, searchlights, infra-red night vision and camera facilities.

At 23:39:25 The panda car now reports that it has lost its car chase 6 miles away but has logged the registration number and description which the coordinator can and only if he chooses to instaneously transfer along with the rest of the incident details to neighbouring South Yorkshire police, (using the same Mobidata and Mobicom systems) who can then continue the pursuit knowing exactly what to expect.

At 23:39:40 The two beat constables report that they have found the man who first reported the incident and who, after several drinks in the pub, is now willing to make a statement of what he saw and heard.

At 23:48:15 The armed response team reports, via the helicopter coordinator, that it has entered the premises, disarmed a male, arrested him, and completed the search-and-secure procedure at the premises. Mobidata and Mobicom command & control is then returned to the incident co-ordinator at police HQ who can mobilise mopping up procedures, forensic teams and interviews with neighbours in the area.