London upgrades emergency reporting system

The City of London Police have upgraded their real time emergency communication system Priority Alert.

Priority Alert has been providing real time security information to businesses since its inception after the Bishopsgate bombing in the early 1990’s.

The police and the City of London have implemented the new service to protect the businesses and residents from a range of incidents including bomb threats, emergency road closures, fire, flooding, building collapse and gas leaks.

The new ‘Warn and Inform system’ will enable emergency voice, SMS text, pager and email messages to be sent to businesses, schools and residents to instruct them of what to do in the event of a major incident. The system also has the ability for maps to be broadcast providing detail of incidents including cordons and road closures.

“Protecting lives is our number one priority in an incident. The Warn and Inform system saves valuable minutes, even seconds in communicating that there is a security threat. It is already part of the emergency and evacuation plans of a large number of London companies. I have no doubt, one day, the system could save lives.

Mike Bowron, commissioner at The City of London Police

Mike Bowron, commissioner at The City of London Police, said: “Protecting lives is our number one priority in an incident. The Warn and Inform system saves valuable minutes, even seconds in communicating that there is a security threat. It is already part of the emergency and evacuation plans of a large number of London companies. I have no doubt, one day, the system could save lives.”

The upgrade was the result of a contract signed with Vocal, a corporate communication solutions provider.

Currently there are around 1500 businesses within London that subscribe to the Priority Alert System, all of which will be given access to the new system.