THE ROYAL seal of approval has been given to Warwickshire Police’s new Operations and Communications Centre.
HRH The Duke of Gloucester officially opened the force’s state-of-the-art Operations and Communications Centre at Stuart Ross House (SRH) in Warwick.
Although SRH has been up and running for just over a year now, the royal visit recognised the team and new facility the force has to support public contact and the command of policing across the county.
The Duke was greeted by a number of guests, including Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe and Chief Constable Debbie Tedds.
He also met guest of honour at the event, Brenda Ross, the widow of PC Stuart Ross, a serving officer with the force who died in 1998 and after whom the new building is named in his memory (see below).
HRH was then escorted on a tour of SRH, meeting many members of Warwickshire Police’s workforce, including those within the control room and a number of officers, staff and cadets who helped facilitate the event.
At the conclusion of the visit, HRH officially opened the building with the unveiling of a new plaque to historically mark the occasion.
Ch Cons Tedds said: “The official opening of this facility has been a special occasion for the force, marked by the visit, and has been a proud opportunity to recognise the incredible work that staff do, day and night, to protect people from harm in Warwickshire.
“Stuart Ross House is a fantastic facility within the county, providing the force with a state-of-the-art Operations and Communications Centre (OCC).
“The OCC sits at the heart of our organisation, forming the main gateway for the public to contact us 24/7. As well as having new IT infrastructure and technology, we also have incredible members of our workforce working from here day and night to ensure the public receive the very best service possible.
“Demand has been significantly rising in the past few months, and today regularly our control room manages more calls than we have previously on the likes of New Year’s Eve. All calls are prioritised on the threat and risk posed but we continue to urge members of the public to use the whole range of means available to contact the force, not least taking advantage of online services to ensure phone lines are freed up for those in urgent and critical need of immediate police help.”
Mr Seccombe added: “The official opening is a significant milestone for Warwickshire Police. It represents a multi-million pound investment in policing in Warwickshire and is part of the continued commitment to develop an improved service for the public.
“I was delighted that we were able to showcase the facility to HRH The Duke of Gloucester but even more proud that he was able to see first-hand the dedication and expertise of all of those who work within the OCC.”
PC Stuart Ross was an observer in the force helicopter. In October 1998, the helicopter struck power lines and crashed into dense woodland on take-off from the East Midlands Air Support Unit at Husbands Bosworth.
The helicopter had been responding to a pursuit in Stratford.
Stuart was 34 and had 13 years’ service, three of which were with air support, having transferred from roads policing at Rugby.
