Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary
Police / Law Enforcement
Action Taken
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has updated guidance to operators regarding automated crash detection calls, requiring deployment of officers unless contact is quickly re-established and police are confirmed to be unnecessary. (AI summary)
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Dear Sir Response to Coroner Concerning the Death of George Dillon This is the Constabulary's response to the Regulation 28 Report to prevent further deaths issued by Henry Charles, Assistant Coroner in the matter of George Robert Dillon deceased. In that notice dated 16th July 2024 the coroner outlined his concerns, in respect of an automated telephone call from the decease's iPhone received in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary's control room at 22.26pm on 18th
2023. On 22.26pm the Constabulary's control room were notified by BT of a 999 automated call from the deceased's iPhone indicating that had been involved in a collision and were not responding to their iPhone_ 2 The iPhone was called back but went straight to voicemail
3. The control room supervisor forwarded the message to the Intelligence desk to establish who the iPhone belonged to and whether there were any previous markers associated to the number which would indicate the owner of the number could be at risk 4 By 22.43 the Intelligence desk identified that there was no supporting markers
5. The Constabulary's guidance to operators on automated notifications at the time of the incident aligned to its response for abandoned 999 calls: Having failed to receive an answer on call back and with no supporting information to inform deployment the incident would be closed_ In this case had it not been for separate call from member of the public at 22.45 hours police would not have dispatched an officer to the location of the notification where the collision had occurred_ Hampshire & IOW
CRIMESTOPPERS 0800 555 114 RT / CG / 011164 00301963 Version Page ISLE Shire 1 May they
6. Evidence at the time identified that false activations from telephones and watches was common place and the locations received often inaccurate and unreliable, to the extent the routine deployment of police resources without supporting evidence was not appropriate. 7 , Apple Crash detection and onward notification was a recent development at the time_ Other manufacturers have since introduced similar automated notifications_ The investigating officer stated during the inquest that "not enough is known (by the Police) about this technology within people's personal phones' 8 . The coroner was concerned that the understanding, training and procedures needed to be reviewed to assist with appropriately prompt responses in situations where there is a notification of a collision or where a right to life may exist. Action Taken At the time of the incident there was no national guidance available as to how police forces should be responding to crash notifications. Following the Inquest Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary accepted the need to clear guidance in place. As a result immediate action was taken by the Head of Contact Management who; A_ Included in a video message an update and clear direction to all staff as to the expected course of action upon receipt of a crash notification B Arranged for the video message to be followed up with written guidance from the Operations Manager across both Hampshire and Thames Valley Forces (Ex1), with the expectation that operators will deploy to all crash technology notifications if we are not able to get a human response or other information to support it being a false notification. In addition the Constabulary has now developed a toolkit to be made available to all operators and control room staff which is due to go live in September: Once it does copy will be released to the coroner. The toolkit provides guidance for both abandoned and automated notification calls across what are now, range of sources, including Apple Crash detections_ The toolkit directs the call taker to confirm the eastings and northings, to record what was heard in playback; to check whether any incidents have been reported nearby and to search the callers history and undertake precautionary background checks In the case of Apple Crash detection and Ford Notifications if there is no response on call back and no further information the operator is directed to create Grade 1 incident for immediate deployment: Changes have been made in part, because; as recognised at the inquest; the technology has advanced to the extent that the Constabulary's previous approach left room for error, notwithstanding the development of these technologies has taken place with little or . no interaction between the private companies providing these notifications and UK Policing: The Head of Contact Management has since engaged with the Chair of the National Contact Management Support Group, who has confirmed receipt of the coroners PFDNA A copy of the Constabulary s Toolkit has been shared and it is now being used to further national discussion on the subject: Hampshire & IOW
CRIMESTOPPERS 0b00 555 11L LnenenAFkh RT /CG / 011164 00301963 Version Page 2 put
Finally, am enclosing a copy of the email referred to above (Ex1) Whilst the toolkit itself is not suitable to be shared publically, slide which deals specifically with Apple Crash notifications can be published and is included here as of the email at Exhibit 1.
2023. On 22.26pm the Constabulary's control room were notified by BT of a 999 automated call from the deceased's iPhone indicating that had been involved in a collision and were not responding to their iPhone_ 2 The iPhone was called back but went straight to voicemail
3. The control room supervisor forwarded the message to the Intelligence desk to establish who the iPhone belonged to and whether there were any previous markers associated to the number which would indicate the owner of the number could be at risk 4 By 22.43 the Intelligence desk identified that there was no supporting markers
5. The Constabulary's guidance to operators on automated notifications at the time of the incident aligned to its response for abandoned 999 calls: Having failed to receive an answer on call back and with no supporting information to inform deployment the incident would be closed_ In this case had it not been for separate call from member of the public at 22.45 hours police would not have dispatched an officer to the location of the notification where the collision had occurred_ Hampshire & IOW
CRIMESTOPPERS 0800 555 114 RT / CG / 011164 00301963 Version Page ISLE Shire 1 May they
6. Evidence at the time identified that false activations from telephones and watches was common place and the locations received often inaccurate and unreliable, to the extent the routine deployment of police resources without supporting evidence was not appropriate. 7 , Apple Crash detection and onward notification was a recent development at the time_ Other manufacturers have since introduced similar automated notifications_ The investigating officer stated during the inquest that "not enough is known (by the Police) about this technology within people's personal phones' 8 . The coroner was concerned that the understanding, training and procedures needed to be reviewed to assist with appropriately prompt responses in situations where there is a notification of a collision or where a right to life may exist. Action Taken At the time of the incident there was no national guidance available as to how police forces should be responding to crash notifications. Following the Inquest Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary accepted the need to clear guidance in place. As a result immediate action was taken by the Head of Contact Management who; A_ Included in a video message an update and clear direction to all staff as to the expected course of action upon receipt of a crash notification B Arranged for the video message to be followed up with written guidance from the Operations Manager across both Hampshire and Thames Valley Forces (Ex1), with the expectation that operators will deploy to all crash technology notifications if we are not able to get a human response or other information to support it being a false notification. In addition the Constabulary has now developed a toolkit to be made available to all operators and control room staff which is due to go live in September: Once it does copy will be released to the coroner. The toolkit provides guidance for both abandoned and automated notification calls across what are now, range of sources, including Apple Crash detections_ The toolkit directs the call taker to confirm the eastings and northings, to record what was heard in playback; to check whether any incidents have been reported nearby and to search the callers history and undertake precautionary background checks In the case of Apple Crash detection and Ford Notifications if there is no response on call back and no further information the operator is directed to create Grade 1 incident for immediate deployment: Changes have been made in part, because; as recognised at the inquest; the technology has advanced to the extent that the Constabulary's previous approach left room for error, notwithstanding the development of these technologies has taken place with little or . no interaction between the private companies providing these notifications and UK Policing: The Head of Contact Management has since engaged with the Chair of the National Contact Management Support Group, who has confirmed receipt of the coroners PFDNA A copy of the Constabulary s Toolkit has been shared and it is now being used to further national discussion on the subject: Hampshire & IOW
CRIMESTOPPERS 0b00 555 11L LnenenAFkh RT /CG / 011164 00301963 Version Page 2 put
Finally, am enclosing a copy of the email referred to above (Ex1) Whilst the toolkit itself is not suitable to be shared publically, slide which deals specifically with Apple Crash notifications can be published and is included here as of the email at Exhibit 1.