The first unit to be transferred will be the largest unit in the Lower Silesian garrison – the Wrocław Municipal Police Headquarters. Every call will now be handled by an operator of the 112 number.

What does this mean for callers?

Because the information will immediately reach emergency-number operators at the Emergency Notification Centre, it will be possible to notify all relevant services about an incident simultaneously.

According to the schedule prepared by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, on 3 December 2018 the Emergency Notification Centre in Wrocław (CPR) will begin taking over the handling of emergency number 997. The process will end on 12 December 2018.

This means that a person calling 997 from anywhere in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship will be connected to the Emergency Notification Centre in Wrocław, just as when calling 112.

A report handled by the CPR will be accepted by an emergency-number operator, entered into the ICT system and forwarded to the police duty officer, and, if necessary, also to other services, depending on the nature of the incident or threat.

What will this achieve?

The CPR taking over the handling of 997 will shorten the waiting time for connection to the emergency number to several seconds.

Handling 997 at the CPR will allow calls to be automatically redirected to another CPR when necessary, for example if all operators are busy. There, the report will be accepted immediately and forwarded to the geographically appropriate police unit, which will improve the speed of the services’ response.

This type of solution has already worked very well for several years in the case of 112, where the average waiting time is only 10–12 seconds. The same will apply to 997, as it will operate using the modern telecommunications infrastructure supporting 112.

The average increase in the number of calls to CPRs after the takeover of 997 nationwide is approximately 8%. The same result is expected at the CPR in Wrocław. At present, the CPR handles approximately 100,000 reports per month.

As part of preparations for transferring the emergency number, officers from the Police Headquarters Staff of KWP in Wrocław conducted training for emergency-number operators at the Emergency Notification Centre in Wrocław.

Fifty operators took part in the training. The existing cooperation between CPR operators and police duty officers in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship regarding the handling of emergency reports is proceeding very well. Further training sessions for CPR emergency-number operators are also planned for 2019.

Lower Silesia last. Why?

The takeover of 997 handling by CPRs in individual voivodeships has already been completed. The Lower Silesian Voivodeship is listed last in the Ministry of the Interior and Administration’s schedule. Why? At the beginning of November this year, the investment was completed: the Integrated Security Centre of the Lower Silesian Voivode in Wrocław, where the Emergency Notification Centre is located.

At present, approximately 12–14 people are on duty around the clock at the Emergency Notification Centre in Wrocław.

Schedule for the takeover of 997 by the CPR:

  • 3 December – Wrocław Municipal Police Headquarters
  • 4 December – County Police Headquarters in Góra, Milicz, Oleśnica and Oława
  • 5 December – County Police Headquarters in Strzelin, Środa Śląska, Trzebnica and Wołów
  • 6 December – Wałbrzych Municipal Police Headquarters and County Police Headquarters in Dzierżoniów, Kłodzko and Świdnica
  • 7 December – Jelenia Góra Municipal Police Headquarters and County Police Headquarters in Ząbkowice Śląskie, Bolesławiec and Kamienna Góra
  • 10 December – County Police Headquarters in Lubań, Lwówek Śląski and Zgorzelec
  • 11 December – County Police Headquarters in Głogów, Jawor and Lubin
  • 12 December – Legnica Municipal Police Headquarters and County Police Headquarters in Polkowice and Złotoryja.