Berlin – In emergencies or fires in the Berlin subway, police officers and firefighters often had problems communicating. For a long time, the underground digital radio network was not sufficiently developed. This radio silence is over now. As the Senate Interior Administration announced on Tuesday, all train stations and the BVG tunnel network for police and fire services are now equipped with digital radio.
The Berlin transport company and the police broadcast on two separate networks. This is why police officers have previously had to use the BVG’s digital radio. However, not all handheld radios were activated for the BVG network. Communication with radio vehicles up on the street was also not possible, which the police union (GdP) repeatedly criticized with regard to the threat posed by jihadist terrorism, but also with regard to everyday operational situations. “Therefore, it is time that the network expansion is now finally completed,” said GdP state vice-president Stephan Kelm on Tuesday of the Berliner Zeitung.
Problems with expanding the network for digital radio have occurred time and again in recent years. Among other things, buildings made of reinforced concrete and steamed window panes hinder communication. That is why tunnels and structures above ground, such as the Bundestag and the Olympic Stadium, had to be equipped with additional base stations for radio coverage.
Interior Senator Andreas Geisel (SPD), Police President Barbara Slowik and BVG boss Eva Kreienkamp want to officially inaugurate the new network in the Bundestag underground station on Thursday.
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