Here is the reply I have just received from Pito to my various questions raised under the Freedom of Information Act.  In a nutshell their answer is that because using 0870 let them and their police force users get the service for nothing or next to nothing they have not bothered to ask Cable & Wireless what level of revenue share they are earning.  When challenged on the cost to the poorest members of the community they resort to saying that 0870 was the most cost effective method for the taxpayer.  In other words they admit they are disproportionately overcharging poorer people but they apparently don't care so long as it artificially reduces the budget of the Police and the Home Office for these activities.

I intend to ask for an internal review regarding the lack of information on the Cable & Wireless revenue share when this matter is directly relevant to the lowering in the cost of the contract quoted to Pito by Cable & Wireless.  I will also ask if they received tenders from C&W at different prices based on the type of phone number used.

----------------------------------------------------------

Police Information Technology Organisation
Hendon Data Centre
Aerodrome Road
Colindale
London, NW9 5JE
Telephone: 020 8358 5223
Email: tom.mcarthur@pito.pnn.police.uk
Your Ref:
Our Ref: 32122
4th August 2005

With reference to your request for information about the use of a non geographic 0870 telephone number for
casualty bureau, dated 7th July 2005 and transferred to PITO by the Metropolitan Police Service on 8th July
2005, made under section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act, please treat this as a combined response
from both PITO and the Home Office. In response to your questions, I am able to provide you with the
following information:

1. The name of the company responsible for operating the telephone call centre for
the Metropolitan Police Casualty Bureau on behalf of the Metropolitan Police on 0870 1566344 if
the Bureau is not run in house by Metropolitan Police Personnel.

The Metropolitan Police operates its own Casualty Bureau in response to major incidents and enquiries.
In emergencies forces have the option to activate the national Mutual Aid Telephony arrangement which
enables them to spread the call handling load to other participating forces. In the case of the London
attacks, this arrangement enabled more than 200 call takers from around 20 different forces to handle
calls on behalf of the Metropolitan Police.

2. The name of the telecoms company operating the telephone lines that terminate calls directed to
the non geographic telephone number 0870 1566344.

The contract PITO has for Mutual Aid Telephony is with Cable & Wireless.

3. The nature of the commercial contract in place between the Metropolitan Police and/or
Metropolitan Police Casualty Bureau and the Terminating Call Party for calls made to 0870
1566344. Most specifically details of any revenue share in pence per minute for calls received by
this number and any increase in this revenue share at different numbers of calls per hour and/or
at different times of day. Also details as to whether this revenue share is passed across to the
Metropolitan Police Casualty Bureau to defray its operating costs and if not what justification is
given for allowing the Terminating Call Party to retain this revenue share and what advantages
accrue to Metropolitan Police Council Tax payers in respect of the Police's decision to use an
0870 number compared to a conventional geographic London 020 number.

The Metropolitan Police do not have a contract with Cable & Wireless, PITO provides national Mutual
Aid Telephony as a national service. National Mutual Aid Telephony is a service provided under
Intelligent Network Services. This is a part of the PNN2 (Police National Network) framework
arrangement that provides wider secure data and telecommunication services to the police. PNN2 users
can call off the service when required or, as in this case, set up a national service.
This contract was set up to provide the police service with ten national non-geographic numbers that
could be set up in fifteen minutes and are capable of handling a large volume of calls generated in the
aftermath of a major incident. This arrangement underpins the national CasWeb system which, in turn,
enables remote and secure access to the HOLMES2 major incident and investigation system. A briefing
on CasWeb is attached for your information.
There is no revenue received from the National Mutual Aid Telephony service by either PITO, the Home
Office or the police service. PITO funds this contract from its own budget. PITO does not hold
information on the revenue shared by individual telecoms operators.
Using an 0870 number rather than a conventional geographic number provides no direct financial benefit
to the council tax payer. However, the establishment of the national Mutual Aid Telephony arrangement
has enabled the efficient handling of large call volumes generated in the aftermath of major incidents.

                  continued in next post..............................

This is their second attachment on the HOLMES2 and CasWeb system that is used to excuse the use of the 0870 number.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

HOLMES 2 and CasWeb
Background
HOLMES2 is used by the UK police to run major crime enquiries and casualty bureaux
after major incidents. It received final accreditation in October 2001 and two versions
have been released each year since, providing additional functionality requested . It is
Windows-based application and includes:
• Graphical on-screen document mark up and display
• Disclosure
• 'Drag and drop’ action and document management
• Exhibits management
• Free text retrieval
• Resource management
• Incident linking
• Facilities required to run a casualty bureau.
• 'Thin client' and 'thick client' options for HOLMES2.
Casweb is a web-based front end to the HOLMES2 Casualty Bureau application that
has been created to make it easier for forces to help each other out when one force is
dealing with the aftermath of a major disaster. This procedure of forces helping each
other with the management of policing operations is known as 'mutual aid'.
Casweb allows neighbouring forces to create, search and update missing persons,
callers, and record messages on the host force’s casualty bureau incident. This is
done via web servers hosted on the Criminal Justice Extranet (CJX).
The first phase of a new module for CasWeb called MIRWeb was released in June
2005. It provides forces with a mutual aid facility for taking telephone messages from
the public during a high profile murder enquiry.
The CasWeb software has been bought by PITO on behalf of UK police forces. Users
anywhere on the CJX can to connect to CasWeb through internet explorer and log on to
any Casualty Bureau incident which they have been given permission for.
The HOLMES2 Enquiry Officer project will enable officers engaged on major enquires
managed through HOLMES2 to be tasked remotely through mobile technology without
the need to return to the incident room. Officers will also be able to submit reports
directly to the incident room through the mobile technology being tested. The project is a
proof of concept technology demonstrator sponsored by the ACPO Crime Committee
(Homicide Working Group). Unisys has developed HOLMES2 Enquiry Officer web
server software.
Latest Position
HOLMES2 has been rolled out to every force in the UK as well as six additional central
agencies. CasWeb Version 5 includes the facilities to input casualty and
survivor/evacuee records as well as the current functionality for handling missing
persons. The HOLMES2 User Group remains very active and there are currently
working groups in the following areas: analysts, disclosure, security, technical, casualty
bureau business process, training and examination, mobile data, exhibits HOLMES2
futures. Details of contacts for each of these groups can be found on the HOLMES2
website, which is accessible through the HOLMES2 section on the PITO website.
Significant new areas of development under consideration are the use of mobile
technology for enquiry officers, xml interfaces and mutual aid for handling messages on
high profile murder enquiries.
Status
Operational Service
Parent Programme
Service Management &
Support
Last Updated
17-Jun-05
- 2 -
Milestones/Timetable
HOLMES 2 Version 9 and CasWeb Version 6 (including MIRWeb) were accepted in May
2005.
Funding
For HOLMES2 licences and support and maintenance, forces pay Unisys according to
prices agreed with PITO. Funding for CasWeb has, to date, been provided by PITO.

Quote:
As with the reply to my own FOI request, why do I simply not believe the above statement? This is simply way too convenient and has been used to deflect criticism of Mr Teflon, CEO/PITO and Ms Teflonette at the Home Office. The attempts to cover-up their incompetence is disgraceful.

Received this from the Home Office this morning in response to my email complaint some time back. I do find it somewhat ironic that it is printed on an official HO letter complete with a 0870 contact number!

<<
Thank you for your e-mail of 14/07/05 15:11:11 about the use of 0870 numbers to provide Casualty Bureau access to the public in respect of the London bombings.

On 15 July, the Policing Minister (Hazel Blears) announced an urgent review of the use of 0870 numbers in respect of the Casualty Bureau. That review has now taken place and with immediate effect, we have decided to discontinue the use of 0870 numbers for casualty bureau purposes and have arranged to make available 0800 numbers in the future that are free at the point of use to landline customers. However, we recognise there may be a charge to callers from mobile phones and officials have been asked to look at this issue with Ofcom and service providers to establish if it is possible to carry these calls at nil charge. We also understand that 0800 numbers may not be accessible from overseas. We are therefore providing an alternative geographic 020 number, that while primarily for the use of overseas callers, is also available to inland customers, including those with mobile phones, who may find charges lower than the standard rate for 0800.

We have also reviewed the use of 0870 numbers in respect of the core Home Office’s public enquiry service, and concluded that with immediate effect we should switch to a geographical (0207) number. 

Casualty Bureau access numbers are allocated under the terms of a contract made between the Police Information Technology Organisation and Cable and Wireless on behalf of the Police Service. Ofcom and Central Office of Information guidance was not in place when the decision was taken to use a 0870 number.

Please be assured that neither the Home Office, the Police Information Technology Organisation or the Metropolitan Police Service benefited in any way from call revenues generated by the use of the 0870 number. The Policing Minister has written to the leading mobile service providers who have received calls on this number, to ask that they do not charge customers for those calls or, if that is not possible that they donate their profits to charity in support of victims and their families. Those providers have responded making a variety of contributions to the relief effort. Some have made significant donations to the Relief Fund, to the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and to the family assistance centre or have reimbursed customers who have made 0870 calls to the casualty bureau

We have been assured by both Ofcom and the Central Office of Information that arrangements are now in line with their guidance and best practice.
>> 

Quote:

Oh dear, 0207 
What will they make of the other parts of 020 (3 and 8 )?

Quote:
I received exactly the same response except it wasn't an email but snail-mail and posted it here although I only quoted the paragraph about HO going back to geographical as the other "prepared answer" on the use of 0870 for the bombing helpline had already been mentioned.  I noticed the HO website here still quotes the 0870 number for contact purposes.

Quote:


The Helplines Association are running a campaign on this very matter.See

http://www.helplines.org.uk/free_crisis_calls.htm

Although they dont cover commercial oganisations.

Also when your at that site see there contact page, and note they are following the ASA guidelines on there 0845 no,and even giving geo alternatives.

I emailed Ken Livingston back to respond to his email (published here) and queried a few things in his flawed response.

Here is my email which I sent back to the London Mayer and cc'd several other people from HomeOffice, PITO, etc:-

Quote:

The above email was sent on 25th July and today I have only just received a response as below:-
Quote:

As expected it never really answered my questions and instead mentioned that they are going to use 0800 and geographical numbers from now on.