Rural security key in 111 review

Federated Farmers welcomes the Government’s announcement today that it has begun a long term review of our 111 service and will be pushing to ensure rural response times are given a priority.

“The review is very timely, coming just two days after Norsewood gunman David Bourke was sentenced and lone Waiouru police officer Bruce Mellor was attacked with a Machete,” says David Rose, Federated Farmers rural security spokesperson.

“2010 has seen a bad run of violent incidents in rural areas, some of which remain unsolved.

“It’s easy for those living in urban areas to forget just how vital a decent 111 service is to Farmers. Their nearest neighbour could be kilometres away, and a police station even further.

“Federated Farmers was a key player in bringing about the previous 111 review in 2004/05. The external review panel agreed with a lot of our points about rural service and acted accordingly. We will be looking for the same sort of impact this time round.

“There are still many ongoing issues.

“A lot of farmers still have issues with cell phone reception, which we are still pressuring the Government about. We saw during the Telecom XT network outage some problems re-routing emergency calls to alternative networks. This can’t be allowed to happen again.

“There is a big opportunity here for the Government to look at implementing new technologies to reduce response time, such as voice over internet protocol (VOIP) and even text messaging.

“Let’s hope that as part of the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) these issues are solved.

“However, it’s absolutely vital that the existing technology and the human element works as it should. Landline service must be efficient and respond as quickly as possible.

“It’s tough when call centres are also becoming more centralised. Nothing beats local knowledge for a quick response. A 111 call diverted from Bunnythorpe to Palmerston North due to a lack of resources could mean that the operator may not know the area.

“Everyone knows, time is a factor in crime and accidents and can literally be the difference between life and death.

“Let me be clear, any issues raised are not directed at the Police themselves, most of whom work incredibly hard with limited resources – its that phone link between us and them.

“Like rural broadband, it’s easy for the urbanised majority to forget the minority’s rights here. A decent 111 response is a right for anyone living in a developed society, part of why we pay our taxes. We look forward to working with the Government closely,” he concluded.