With the rollout of the Airwave communications network nearly complete in Scotland, the focus has switched from implementation to how to make the best possible use of Airwave. A key part of this lies in understanding how the various Forces use the network. At the start of 2006, the eight Scottish Police launched a joint procurement exercise to obtain a common performance analysis package for the Airwave network. After a thorough evaluation of the packages available on the market, the Scottish Forces selected the Syntech CDR Reporting Tool as their preferred solution.

The Syntech CDR Reporting Tool is a powerful, flexible network performance tool. Each month the Forces receive details of every call made by their users. The Syntech CDR Reporting Tool stores these Call Detail Records (CDRs) in an SQL database, enabling quick and easy access to the data. Queries showing the profile of calls made throughout the entire year can be run in a matter of minutes.

The Syntech CDR Reporting Tool has an intuitive, user-friendly interface, allowing the Forces to easily interrogate the CDRs. Typical analysis can range from providing summary statistics such as the number of calls per month or average site utilisation to detailed investigation of individual calls, showing each transaction in a call, identifying who spoke to whom and when.

Commenting on the contract, Dr Brian Williams of Syntech Systems said:

“We are delighted to have been chosen by the Scottish Forces to provide the Syntech CDR Reporting Tool. They have a very stringent set of requirements and this stamp of approval reflects the broad capabilities of the Tool. We are already working very closely with the Scottish Forces and are looking forward to helping them analyse, understand and manage their usage of Airwave in the years to come.”

Alan Thomson, formerly of Lothian and Borders Police, commented:

“Representatives from the eight Scottish Forces drew up a comprehensive specification, and approached a number of suppliers. While all of the suppliers that responded had a quality product, Syntech was the only supplier that met the demanding requirements at the time of tendering. I have also been impressed with Syntech’s willingness to work with the Scottish Forces in a flexible manner.”

As part of Syntech’s comprehensive support package, the first Scottish User Group meeting for users of the Syntech CDR Reporting Tool was held in July. The meetings, which are held twice yearly, consist of presentations and real-life demonstrations of how the Syntech CDR Reporting Tool is being used to benefit the various Police Forces. It provides a forum for members of the user community to discuss how they use the Syntech CDR Reporting Tool, share best practice, develop common working methods and provide feedback to Syntech. Referring to the day Inspector Andrew Govan of Central Scotland Police said: