Charges for URNs
EMCS (East Midlands Central Station) has announced charges for URNs
Major changes are coming into force this year whereby all alarms that hold a valid URN will be passed electronically via ECHO to the appropriate Police Force. ECHO (Electronic Call Handing Operations) is a not for profit organisation who automate transmission of alarm signalling to blue light services, in conjunction with the National Police Chiefs Council and key industry players. The rationale behind the initiative is to improve the quality and speed of the Police response to all alarms with a valid URN. Integration into the ECHO initiative is mandatory for all ARC’s (Alarm Receiving Centres) that wish to continue to pass alarms for police response.
Here are the key changes that this will bring:
- Essex Police Force & London Metropolitan Police Force will be the first adopters of ECHO scheduled for mid-2021. All other UK Police Forces will follow when they are capable of connection to the ECHO platform
- Control room operators will verify the alarm and with a click of a button the connection to the Police will be passed directly from Sentinel, the alarm handling software, over the ECHO platform and delivered to wherever the Police Force deem to be the most effective location. The operator will handle all other actions as normal (i.e. calling site and keyholders).
- Customers will be updated when changes are implemented in our area. Any questions please contact APS enquiries@aps-security.co.uk
Click here for the ECHO flyer which explains the benefits of the platform, or visit the ECHO website on www.echo.uk.net
