Avon and Somerset Police to open control room to public

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 24 Oct, 18:02 · Archive

Avon and Somerset Police will broadcast live updates from its Portishead control room for eight hours on Monday, October 26.

Avon and Somerset Police will open its control room to public view on Monday, October 26 as part of Control Room Week from October 26 to 31. Between 1pm and 9pm, the force's social media team will post live updates on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok with basic, anonymised details of calls coming into their Portishead control centre.

The eight-hour broadcast aims to show the public the wide variety of situations handled by staff and the decisions they have to make. Followers will be introduced to people working behind the phones, radios and computer screens, including call handlers, dispatchers, force incident managers and switchboard operators. The control room handles 999 and 101 calls from across Somerset, Bath and Bristol.

Tara Bryant, head of command and control, said the event was 'an important opportunity to recognise the incredible work our control room teams do every day, often behind the scenes and out of the public eye'. She added that staff are 'the first point of contact for thousands of people each year, providing reassurance, gathering vital information and making sure the right help gets to the right place as quickly as possible'.

How it is being reported

• Public invited to find out what goes on in a Somerset police control roomMembers of the public can tune in to a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the Somerset police control room, where "no two calls are ever the same."Bridgwater Mercury · 24 Oct, 16:46
• Public invited to find out what goes on in a Somerset police control roomMembers of the public can tune in to a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the Somerset police control room, where "no two calls are ever the same."Somerset County Gazette · 24 Oct, 16:46

In this story: Avon and Somerset Police · Portishead · Somerset · Bath · Bristol · Tara Bryant

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