The Force's Third Generation Command and Control Communications System (CC3) has won an award of the Government Technology Awards 2007 organised by the Public Sector Technology & Management Magazine, which is a leading publication of public service issues in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The Awards, comprising eight categories, including "Wireless Government", "Information Security", "Service Innovation" and "Online Participation", were launched to acknowledge and celebrate outstanding government technology deployments, and to encourage the diffusion of practices of technology deployment throughout government agencies in the Region.

An independent judging panel comprising senior government officials from around the Region, an expert in technology and a representative of the organiser evaluated entries to the award scheme. Apart from the Force, some other Hong Kong disciplined services also submitted entries.

The results were announced during the Government Technology Summit held in Phuket, Thailand, from October 24 to 26. Attending the event were 160 public sector leaders and technology stakeholders in the Region. Out of the 212 entries from 90 government agencies in 14 Asia-Pacific countries, CC3 won the Award for the "Wireless Government" category - the only award Hong Kong received.

"CC3" was highly praised by the judging panel for its smooth project implementation and high system reliability; innovation to integrate advanced technologies into a user-friendly unified multi-media communications system; and operational efficiency, which brings benefits to the public through a faster emergency response.

Speaking at the Summit, Assistant Commissioner (Information Systems) Clarence To Chun-wai said CC3 is a mission-critical system that provides the Force with highly efficient, responsive, and resilient capabilities to meet operational needs with a seamless service performance.

"It is an empirically tested multi-media communications system that enables the Force to respond to emergencies faster with secure communications. It is scalable to cater for multi-talk-groups for large-scale public order policing events like the HKMC held in December 2005. It also provides an interoperable communications platform for all emergency services in Hong Kong."

Mr To went on to say that the Award for CC3 speaks volumes for the team effort and professionalism of the Force in making full and best use of component technologies rather than relying on specific ICT development to suit particular but marginal needs. With the constructive input and enthusiastic co-operation by formation users, smooth project implementation by the system owner - Operations Wing, innovative system design by the Information Technology Branch and Communications Branch of Information Systems Wing, and excellent partnership with the main contractor, Motorola, CC3 was successfully rolled out in phases between 2004 and 2006. CC3 is an adaptable system and opportunities for improvement will continually be explored to enhance operational efficiency and service performance.

Mr To added that the Force is now working towards opening up the CC3 interoperable platform, known as the Unified Digital Communications Platform (UDCP), to all HKSAR emergency departments. Each emergency department, when on board the UDCP, will have exclusive use of its own communications domain in a fully secure environment. For major incidents or emergencies, the departments can switch to the interoperable mode to enhance inter-agency communication.

Mr To also said that it is the general consensus of the Summit representatives that communication interoperability is not only a worldwide trend, but also a critical success factor for emergency and crisis management.

To date, many emergency services in Hong Kong have shown interest in joining UDCP. The Auxiliary Medical Service will join in the third quarter of 2008, and the Customs and Excise Department is in the process of funding application. Moreover, the Fire Services Department, the Correctional Services Department, and the Civil Aid Service are conducting feasibility studies for joining the platform.

Mr James Smith, Managing Editor of the Public Sector Technology & Management Magazine, congratulates Mr To on CC3 winning the award for the "Wireless Government" category