British Police Force Told to Text as a Cost Cutting Measure

Posted 11/15/2010 at 8:53am | by Paul Lilly

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When it comes to routine matters, British police have been ordered to fire off a text message rather than communicate using their radios, UK's Daily Mail reports. It's the latest movie in what the UK newspaper calls "unprecedented cutbacks."

Meanwhile, Airwave Solutions, the company which operates the emergency services communication system, is enjoying "massive" profits, with a profit margin higher than Vodafone. Pre tax profit was up 26 percent for the past 12 months.

"It was imperative to have a secure communications system. But it has come at a very high price. The advice we're being given from the top is to send texts as much as possible because it's going to cost a lot less money," laments Clive Chamberlain, chairman of the Dorset Police Federation.

According to Chamberlain, it costs as much as "£2 (about US$3.21) a second whenever we go over the limit. We are being told that texting more has the potential to save tens of thousands of pounds because it costs only £4 (about US$6.43) to send 1,000 texts."

Neither the Dorset Police or Airwaves would discuss pricing details, though Airwaves did say the per second charge was "misleading and inaccurate."