Q's re: VKI????

Frequencies, Callsigns and discussion on the WA Police Service radio (VKI)

Moderator: Bonez

SteveNSWP
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:55 pm
Location: Wollongong, NSW

Q's re: VKI????

Post by SteveNSWP »

Hey all,

Just another couple of Q's. Im curious about how your Police Radio works and what sort of systems you use for job dispatch and how jobs are called over the air.

Here in NSW were are now using CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) and I was just wondering what systems WAPOL uses to create, record and broadcast jobs. Before we were using a system call CIDLIVE (Computerised Incident Dispatch LIVE!) which was a DOS system.

I'm also curious how jobs are called over the air, including urgent jobs. I've heard the WAPOL uses job codes ect. and gives out priority codes when broadcasting jobs. Does VKI continously broadcast jobs or do they wait untill units call back on air before giving them jobs, and what does it sound like over the air. Do units have to proceed straight away to the next job?

Where I work they just continously keep calling jobs until a unit acknowledges it. We dont get given a priority, but when a Priority 1 (Officer Down) or Priority 2 (Urgent/Immediate response) is called there is a loud beep over the air. Radio will then say similar to "Standing by for an available Lake unit, any lake unit to respond to a violent domestic occurring now at (give the address)" We then acknowledge as Proceeding Code Red (Urgent) or Code Blue (Normal). If its a Priority 3, 4 or 5 there's no beep, and its not uncommon for us to have acknowledged 10 or so jobs at any given time. We then just attend to them as time allows. As you can immagine, our response times are pretty shithouse for this reason. We run about 10 G.D's cars each day and it is usual for all cars to be tied up with a large amount of acknowlegded jobs. We also don't have job codes here, a domestic is just a domestic, and an armed-hold up is just an armed hold-up, etc. Does VKI use beeps like we do before broadcasting Priority jobs?

Lastly, How many VKI centres are there throughout the state??? We only have six.

Thanks heaps for any info that you can provide. If there's any q's relating to NSWP I'm happy to answer them!
There's no such things as stupid questions, just stupid people!
Anon-e-mouse
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:45 pm

Post by Anon-e-mouse »

Steve,

I will try and answer the best I can.

We also use Pintrak CAD, With Motorola Tactical Mapping. Prior to that we used a system called CDS which is still used in most country areas of WA.


The way jobs are called will vary between operators but the most common practice is as follows..

If a unit can be seen as clear

VKI to Car
I have a 329 (domestic) Occurring at said address are you available to attend


If no unit is clear

VKI to any vehicle available to assist with a 329 in Perth and a brief description of what is going on.

Priority jobs are called as per normal with the radio dispatcher authorising a priority 1 or priority 2 attendance. Also most vehicles are fitted with TADIS now and they can see the jobs and may ask for one to be dispatched to them.

There is approx 80 job codes and jobs can be given a 1,2,3,4 priority and also 7 is a LOTBKF and 8 and 9 are used also. Most units will continue all shift minus comfort breaks and Crib or arrests etc.. Most Vehicles will only take one task at a time unless they are otw to a task and they get diverted to a more major incident.

There is 1 VKI which deals with the metro area and the major country centres usually have a radio room and the smaller country centres are just run from the base via a base set radio.

Hopefully this answers your questions..
yorky
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2631
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:46 pm
Location: Perth

Post by yorky »

And just to add, yes there is only 1 VKI metro center but within that center there a multiple VKI dispatches (channels) something like 6 or 7 for the metro area (we have Central Metro, North Metro, North West Metro, South Metro, Freo and East Metro and I bet I'm missing one).

And no beeps on ours but as we are almost fully on a digital network the officers radios do have emergency help buttons.

And yes a lot of the cars now have TADIS installed so the jobs don't have to be said over the air, just sent to there screen. But there are still cars with no TADIS which jobs are over the air.

We also have callsigns based on district and also based on role (ie all GD's are district, then theres traffic of the district, then others which go city wide like highway patrol (Traffic Enforcement) and K9 etc.

The issue especially with cars without TADIS is if there is an urgent job, say an armed hold up, its difficult and slow to dispatch cars as they need to confirm callsign, then if its priority the cars MUST readback there class of vehicle, class of driver and driver regimental. Now if theres 4+ cars responding thats pretty time consuming on the radio. It should be a lot better now that vehicles can get the job on screen in seconds to half a dozen cars (though they still have to confirm the classes but don't have to wait for job details). Also updates can be read direct off the screen.

Have a look at the top of this forum for papers on job codes and callsigns etc.
"VKI, NJ050 will you be attending the job?"
"Negative VKI, my desk is bolted to the floor".
WARSUG General Scanning Moderator
SteveNSWP
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:55 pm
Location: Wollongong, NSW

Post by SteveNSWP »

Thanks heaps for ur responses. They have been really helpful.

What is TADIS that I keep hearing. Are they anything like our MDT's? (Mobile Data terminals)???

Here in NSW we have Commands (equivelant to ur stations/departments) and we have 3 different types of callsigns which are Command Callsigns, Region Callsigns and Departmental Callsigns.

Our callsigns start with the command name, i.e Lake (where im from) then the car number which represents the duty type of that vehicle. If ur Lake 15 ur a g.d's caged truck, if you Lake 35 your a g.d's caged sedan and so on. The numbers represent the same vehicle and duty type across the state. So Lake 15 is the same as Wollongong 15 which would be the same a city 15 and so on.

Cars calling 10 and 11 are Duty Officers, 12, 13 and 14 are supervisors, 15-34 are g.d caged trucks, 35 - 44 are g.d sedans. 700 - 749 are TAG units and 760 to 770 i think are Anti-Theft. 200's are hwy and 100's are D's.

We have 6 Radio Centres in NSW located at Sydney, Penrith (wetsern Sydney), Newcastle, Warilla, Wagga Wagga and Tamworth. We dont call them VKG, just radio. Sydney has 10 radio channels, penrith has 5, Warilla has 4, Newcatsle has about 6, Wagga and tamworth covers all the counrty area's.
There's no such things as stupid questions, just stupid people!
Toottoot
Banned
Posts: 1151
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:48 am

Post by Toottoot »

See here for the call signs spread sheet
yorky
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2631
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:46 pm
Location: Perth

Post by yorky »

Yup TADIS is (I think) Motorola's MDT system, linked to the CAD system at VKI. All part of Perth metro's new 'digital' network.

Oh and also as well as the alpha (letters) callsign before the numbers our numbers also mean different things, mainly:

xx010 = station base
xx101-120(ish) = GD's
xx201-229(ish) = traffic cars (though there are some rail unit callsigns)
xx301-309(ish) = forensics and some districts are something else too
xx401-4xx = detectives usually
xx601-6xx = I think used to be ALPO officers? May still be?
xx701-7xx = Motorbikes
xx801-8xx = foot/push bike patrols (usually only in the city)

Each district has a letter then the next letter is what station its from, but a 'traffic car' that covers that district starts with A then the letter from the district. eg:

North Metro cars start with N
Warwick GD car would be NW101 (GD's are either the latest Falcon or Commonwhore VZ/VE).
Then say Wannaroo in that same district is NX101 (as W is already taken for the second letter).
Then the traffic cars start with AN201 for that district (and AN701 for the bikes).

And its not really clear cut by callsign what model vehicle it is, though in a lot of cases you can guess (like K9's have commodore wagons and go woof woof) and then theres the guys and gals from the Major Incident Group (/me waves to Walks) driving unmarked XR6T's (oh and thats pretty much the fastest car's we have with some littered over the traffic branches as well).

And not forgetting Polair61 (heli) and Polair62 (plane) :lol:

It goes on and on so I'll shutup now :D One thing about WA Police cars is that they don't spend much on the disco lights, where as a lot of over east cars have like the light bar, rear deck lights, front deck lights, flashing headlights and all sorts of funky things our standard GD cars have a light bar. And thats about it. The unmarked cars have the windows lights and a beacon and SOME have other flashy stuff (from watching The Force oh oh did you guys get our show over there?) but not many. We have a new experimental 'blue' car too...
"VKI, NJ050 will you be attending the job?"
"Negative VKI, my desk is bolted to the floor".
WARSUG General Scanning Moderator
Gladiator
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:34 am

Post by Gladiator »

What callsign is NJ050? I've heard NJ500 too is that SOCO?
yorky
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2631
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:46 pm
Location: Perth

Post by yorky »

No no thats IMU :) Guy at a desk that helps coordinate that district. Each district has a xx050 (or xx500 in the pre-digital times).
"VKI, NJ050 will you be attending the job?"
"Negative VKI, my desk is bolted to the floor".
WARSUG General Scanning Moderator
Lucas_arts_182

Post by Lucas_arts_182 »

I.M.U. = icodent management unit ??? , its had me puzzle for a while
yorky
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2631
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:46 pm
Location: Perth

Post by yorky »

Lucas_arts_182 wrote:I.M.U. = icodent management unit ??? , its had me puzzle for a while
Thats what I've always though but never confirmed.

And NJ501 is SOCO for the Joondalup district. Though other districts are usually xx301.
"VKI, NJ050 will you be attending the job?"
"Negative VKI, my desk is bolted to the floor".
WARSUG General Scanning Moderator
playworth
Banned
Posts: 951
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 5:16 pm

Post by playworth »

yorky wrote:
Lucas_arts_182 wrote:I.M.U. = icodent management unit ??? , its had me puzzle for a while
Thats what I've always though but never confirmed.

And NJ501 is SOCO for the Joondalup district. Though other districts are usually xx301.
more like he sits behind desk and does phone duties...
NJ102 to VKI,where the option button on tadis.
VKI to NJ102,we dont have option button up here
Lucas_arts_182

Post by Lucas_arts_182 »

Does VKI stand for anything or is it just a callsign???
WPXZBP

Post by WPXZBP »

Australian callsigns are allocated the prefix letters VHA-VNZ, VZA-VZZ and AXA-AXZ. VKI uses the letters VK as allocated to Australia, the I is simply added on as an available letter. (SA has VKA, NSW = VKG, VIC = VKC etc)
Gladiator
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:34 am

Post by Gladiator »

yorky wrote:
Lucas_arts_182 wrote:I.M.U. = icodent management unit ??? , its had me puzzle for a while
Thats what I've always though but never confirmed.

And NJ501 is SOCO for the Joondalup district. Though other districts are usually xx301.
That's where my confusion came from, I thought NJ500 & NJ501 must've both been SOCO but it's clearer now. Still doesn't explain why Joondalup is 501 and everywhere else 301 etc.
yorky
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2631
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:46 pm
Location: Perth

Post by yorky »

Yep thats always had me baffled as well, and I sometimes hear NJ501 (and I think 503 or similar) out at night sometimes on GD duties but I don't know if the vehicle is just shared or something.
"VKI, NJ050 will you be attending the job?"
"Negative VKI, my desk is bolted to the floor".
WARSUG General Scanning Moderator
Post Reply