ECHO has suspended the launch of the automated alarm signalling service until July 2020.
In light of the escalating COVID‐19 pandemic, ECHO has taken the decision following full consultation with the NPCC to delay the launch of its new industry backed service until July 2020.
A statement released on behalf of the ECHO Directors said this is a regrettable but wholly appropriate step that accommodates the needs of all interested parties at the present time. There is great interest in the benefits ECHO will bring to the partnership between the Police and the alarms industry, yet delaying the “go live” until the Covid‐19 pandemic is at least stabilised is eminently in the best interest of all parties.
The aim of ECHO is to deliver a centralised, fully automated electronic call handling service to reduce the pressure on the emergency services and ARCs by reducing their call handling times and errors that can occur from a manual response handling.
Following discussions between the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and the private security industry that took place in 2015, the decision to implement electronic transfer was agreed. As a result, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) set the date of 2020 for all ARCs to be operating on an electronic platform. Pilot schemes have proved that ECHO will improve efficiencies.
