Book 'em Danno.
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ICL: Police ride wave of crime on Netherlands waterways; ICL & Libertel
provide police with Internet-based mobile communications system
Story Filed: Monday, February 14, 2000 6:38 AM EST
FEB 14, 2000, M2 Communications - ICL, the IT services company, announced today that it has
developed a mobile communication system in partnership with Libertel, (the mobile telecommunications
subsidiary of Vodafone) to help the Netherlands police force reduce crime. The new system enables
officers active on police boats around the Netherlands' waterways to access electronic information
directly from land-based departments. This was not possible previously.
It is the first police mobile communications system in the world with a single GSM/ISDN connection
running a local area network (LAN) with more than one PC, connecting police boats to land-based
departments. This results in lower telecommunication costs and makes communication easier to
manage.
Through direct access to intelligence on a network and to the police intranet, officers can verify
instantly details about people, cars, and leisure or commercial boats. Previously, reporting crimes was a
very time-intensive process for both officers and the public.
Police boat officers had to rely on radio/mobile phone communication with colleagues for intelligence
and return to land-based stations to file evidence and report crimes whilst people involved had to report
to the station as well. With the new system, officers can verify details, investigate any related
information such as prior convictions, and file reports directly from the police boat.
An ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)-based system has been implemented - consisting of a
wide area network (WAN) at the police headquarters in Driebergen near Utrecht. This links to LANs
on over 30 police boats with at least three officers on each. The system now in operation, helps mobile
officers to do their job more effectively and speeds up information gathering and reporting.
The Netherlands police force believes that the system will help to reduce crime on the waterways. For
example, the system will help to combat the illegal dumping of waste on the waterways by enabling
officers to respond more quickly.
Jan Blei, the project director for the system at the Netherlands National Police Agency said: "The new
system, developed by ICL, has given us the latest technology to allow instant communication for any
police officer no matter where their police boat is stationed.
Also, ICL ensured that there was no downtime during implementation." In the future, ICL and Libertel
are looking to replicate this secure mobile communication system for other police forces, law
enforcement agencies, and distribution companies around the world. Similar systems can be developed
in any country where there is a digital connection between GSM and ISDN networks known as UDI
(Unrestricted Data Interchange).
The WAN at the police headquarters comprises: Digital Alpha servers running on UNIX; Compaq
servers running on Windows NT 4.0; AVM router technology; PCs and notebooks. The police boats
are equipped with a notebook serving as a router for the communication and linking in to the central
database and the intranet with Microsoft Internet Explorer as the de facto browser. Using GSM/ISDN
technology, the WAN links to LANs on the police boats consisting of a number of desktop PCs and a
printer.
Notes to Editors
About ICL
ICL is a global IT services company. It designs, builds and operates information systems and services
for customers in the retail, finance, government, telecoms, utilities and travel markets. The company
has operations in over 40 countries and employs over 22,000 people.
Transformed from a manufacturer of computers, today ICL improves business performance and
competitiveness through services focused on electronic business, enterprise applications and the
implementation and outsourcing of IT infrastructure.
For the 12 months to 31 March 1999 the company's revenues were GBP2.735 billion which generated
a profit before tax and exceptional charges of GBP64.5 million. Headquartered in London, ICL is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu and plans to float on the London Stock Exchange in 2000.
ICL in the Netherlands - ICL employs over 950 people. Key customers include: toy retailer Bart Smit;
KPN Telecoms; Dutchtone; retail company KBB; DSM chemicals; Kwantum; P&O Nedlloyd;
Vredestein; AirMiles; Cattle Syndicate; Ministry of Justice; Royal Library; Audax Publishers; General
Electric Plastics; Buma Stemra; NMB-Heller; Flower Auction Aalsmeer.
ICL web sites: icl.com and icl.nl The Dutch police force is made up of 25
regional forces and the National Police Services (Korps Landelijke PolitieDiensten - KLPD).
Together these forces look after safety and welfare of the country, through fighting crime,
enforcement of civil order and providing other services to the public. The regional forces execute the
actual police tasks, with support of KLPD. This national corps can supply specialist people, material
and technology. KLPD is in charge of: policing roads, waterways and air traffic, protection of Royal
and diplomatic persons, financial economical investigation, severe fraud cases and provision of
investigation expertise, crime analysis, logistic services and general support. The policeboats of KLPD
monitor both professional and recreational navigation on waterways and surface waters. Policing
territorial waters in the North Sea is a KLPD task.
Libertel is the Dutch GSM network provider and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone. It was
founded on the 29, September 1995 and has since rolled out one of Europe's highest quality mobile
networks. With an existing base of over a million customers, Libertel has introduced several innovative
services and has achieved excellent levels of service. Libertel was the first Dutch operator to
implement per second billing and dialling numbers through voice recognition. Additionally Libertel
introduced the first prepaid services in the Netherlands, called Libertel iZi. By carefully listening to its
customers, Libertel offers the ideal tariff for each user category: Libertel iZi, Libertel Personal, Libertel
Professional and Libertel Corporate. Libertel offers its clients free customer services, 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
Copyright 1994-2000 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
CONTACT: Daniel Bausor, ICL
Tel: +44 (0)1753 604746
e-mail: daniel.bausor@icl.com
Dick van Beusekom, ICL Press Office Netherlands
Tel: +31 346 598 527
e-mail: dick.van.beusekom@icl.nl
((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information
provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties.
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