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Ken Jones
Chief Constable
Sussex Police
Police Headquarters
Malling House
Lewes
BN7 2DZ
8 March 2004
Dear Mr Jones
I am writing to share the concerns of a number of residents of Worthing, over the proposed introduction of the Airwave police communications system. I am aware that you will have had many approaches on the matter, from protest groups to ordinary enquirers, but trust you will find the time to reply to us.
I wish I could say that your own operational staff had expressed similar concerns, since much has been in the news about forces elsewhere reporting health issues, and concerns over the true coverage of the system, its functionality, and its effect on other sensitive equipment associated with emergency situations. I have the impression, and I stand to be corrected, that Sussex policemen and women know little or nothing about the Tetra technology being employed, other than that they expect to be trialling Airwave from September.
Given the considerable expense of this system and the issues of compatibility with other electronic equipment (I gather some breathalyser units will need replacing as they will be subject to interference, for example, and that defibrillator units are similarly compromised) we would like to know what level of confidence you have in the success of this system and the soundness of the decision to go with it. We have noted the increases in our Council Tax, and are seeking reassurance that it is being best spent.
We are, however, of one mind that the police deserve the best, the safest and most appropriate communications systems to enable them to do their jobs effectively.
At present, the residents in the Woodside Road area of Worthing are protesting, largely as a result of experiencing health effects from the O2 Airwave base station there. You will have seen this in the local press perhaps, though the media has so far preferred the TV interference story. We are also aware that Sussex Police Authority dissociates itself entirely from the activities of its service providers, O2, including the siting of masts such as ours. However, since we have been directly affected, we have started to research further, and have raised other issues. These include the cost of the system, whether it will do what has been promised, and whether either the handsets or the base stations will cause such effects as sleep disorders and persistent headaches.
We are in particular gravely concerned about the health issues associated with handset use, given the pulsed nature of the electromagnetic radiation and the frequency of the pulsing coinciding with beta brainwave. From the minutes of a recent meeting, reassurances have been given in Worthing Council by Mark Dunn that continuous monitoring will be done, and early warnings issued about any health concerns raised.
We also note that Home Office research over a 15 year period will eventually report and analyse the experiences of a sample of 100,000 officers using the equipment throughout the UK. I hope this does not amount to a live experiment of untested technology already reported to cause serious side-effects on people. Your force is stretched enough already, and has a high enough incidence of sickness absence, not to want any further reduction in its effectiveness.
Please can you indicate to us your own opinion, as operational Chief Constable, of the appropriateness of Airwave in meeting your requirements. Responses from Sussex Police Authority appear to be ingrained in official statements by the Home Office, the financial structure of the introduction of Airwave, and the expert report of Professor Challis in particular. In line with the recommendations of the Stewart report, we find Professor Challis' conclusions particularly unsafe. In terms of the pressures induced by the way this contract has been awarded to BT/O2, and police forces remunerated in its initial phase, we are concerned that you are being put under undue pressure to adopt and approve an inadequately researched system and its underlying Tetra technology.
It must be of some concern to you that should any of the suspicions about health, functionality or cost turn out to be true, the financial implications in terms of legal actions could be considerable.
yours sincerely
Andy Davidson
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