10 November 2021

Cumbria Police has deployed a new range of Sepura SC21 hand portable radios to its police officer roles and SCG22 mobile radios in its vehicles as part of a “TETRA radio refresh”.

The transition to the SC21 and SCG22 devices began with a trial undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK and saw Sepura use a ‘provisioning service’, meaning the radios were preprogrammed and delivered to force headquarters ready to deploy as part of a “safe and accelerated transition”.

ICT operational change business lead at Cumbria Police, Adrian Johnson, said the SC21 radios offered an upgrade on the force’s previous devices due to their “powerful TETRA engine” and ability to maintain Airwave coverage in the county’s vast rural areas. The SCG22 mobile radio was purchased at the same time as it has comprehensive deployment options, including car, van, motorcycle and desk mount options, and shares a common interface to the SC21 acting as “a gateway”.

The radios were also programmed with a bespoke user interface which offered Cumbrian officers “a familiar user experience” to minimise officer training. “Our officers have been providing policing services to our citizens and visitors to Cumbria throughout the Covid pandemic,” Johnson said. “The Sepura rollout occurred during this global pandemic, during which the team had to learn new ways of doing things safely.

He added that it is imperative in a mission critical environment that Cumbria Police has excellent relationships with suppliers and immediate access to subject matter experts when technicians need help or advice.

More than 1,400 new Sepura radios have been deployed across the county as part of the “refresh”.