A failure within the system of emergency communications:$ 200 per hour to manage the crisis to the SQ

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The misfire multiply since the beginning of the introduction of the RÉSEAU, in 2002. In addition to the costs that have exploded, several technical constraints complicate the lives of police officers from the SQ.

Pascal Dugas Drone

Friday, 18 August, 2017 06:30

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Friday, 18 August, 2017 06:30

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The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) has had to hire a private consultant to $ 200 / hour to manage the “crisis” related to the failures of the emergency communications system RÉSEAU, told QMI Agency.

The SQ has had to proceed in June with the award of a contract to 229 000 $ the firm Devicom without tender, because it is ” an emergency situation that puts the safety of persons or property.” “When half of the posts are devoid of communication system that is reliable, and that there’s no quick fix, it is considered to be a crisis situation “, explained in the interview, Jason Allard, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec.

The source of the problem : the réseau national intégré de radiocommunication (RÉSEAU), the emergency communications system operated by the Centre de services partagés du Québec (CSPQ), and that was to allow police officers, firefighters and paramedics to communicate between them.

Multiple misfires

RÉSEAU experiences multiple failures since the beginning of its establishment in 2002, forcing now the SQ to find emergency solutions to ensure ” the safety of police officers and citizens “.

Not only is the system faced with many technical constraints (interference, dead zones, etc), but its costs have soared compared to the original estimates. As the police do not have specialists in the police radio, it was “impossible to assess the impacts on the ground” solutions proposed by the CSPQ without proceeding with the hiring of a private consultant.

Go back to the old system

This summer, 16 positions of the SQ were therefore obliged to return to the old system of communication because RÉSEAU police could not do their work, has also recognized Mr. Allard. “It was the most effective way to ensure our front-line service,” he said, recalling that the radio communications are ” the cornerstone of police operations on the ground.”

Other four jobs require their patrol officers to work as a duo, even in daylight, because RÉSEAU is not reliable enough to patrol solo.

Some 35 positions using the system RÉSEAU, apparently without problem, in particular because “corrective measures” have been adopted. Finally, some fifty other stations still use the old system, because the deployment of the RÉSEAU has been suspended.

The CSPQ had not responded to requests for clarification of the QMI Agency at the time of publishing these lines.

THE RÉSEAU IN BRIEF

• Wireless network that is designed to facilitate communications between the various stakeholders in the emergency services (police, ambulance, firefighters)

• Establishment recommended by the commission Nicolet following the ice storm of 1998

• Project, launched in 2002, and entrusted in 2005 to the CSPQ

• 144 million $: the Cost for the construction of the project, which was to be fully operational in 2008

• 322,2 million $: estimated Cost of the project as at march 31, 2013