Damian Green opens National Police Coordination Centre
Minister for Policing Damian Green opens the National Police Coordination Centre.
Minister for policing Damian Green today (Tuesday 23 April) opened the new National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC), which will mobilise police officers from across the country during civil emergencies and planned events.
It will also hold a record of police officers with relevant specialist skills.
Replacing the Police National Information Coordination Centre (PNICC), it will build on the successful mobilisation of national policing resources during last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.
Mr Green said: “This new centre will perform a vital role in helping police forces across the country coordinate their resources to effectively respond to civil emergencies and cross-border policing issues.
“It will ensure that there are teams of trained officers and specialist assets in all forces ready to assist anywhere in the country when called upon.
“I am sure NPoCC will become a truly indispensable part of the policing landscape.”
Police resources
NPoCC will use an IT system called Mercury which was developed for the management of police resources and mutual aid for the London 2012 Olympics and funded by the Home Office. The centre is currently working on the deployment of officers for the G8 summit in June.
Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “NPoCC is an important unit which demonstrates how police forces work together to protect the public.
“It will deliver a coordinated and professional response to any planned major events, civil emergencies and crises, providing mutual aid and support to forces in times of high demand.
“The centre will continuously test the capacity of police forces to provide resources when needed and work with colleagues to identify and plan for potential threats.
“It will also provide support for senior officers and Government crisis management teams in emergencies.”