Port Moody Police Department's dispatch services will be moving to E-Comm 911 next spring.
The switch to the regional serviced based in Vancouver will save the city about $200,000 annually starting in 2017 but it is also expected to provide more comprehensive service, particularly in an emergency, when there is significant call volume, according to the Chief Const. Chris Rattenbury.
"My concern is… we only have so many lines in our dispatch," Rattenbury said. "I felt their ability to handle a call could be better, given the number of lines going to E-Comm, and that was a big one for me."
Moving the dispatch function to an integrated service like E-Comm, Rattenbury added, is just one of the ways to streamline police services and make them as efficient and effective as possible, and it doesn't make sense to wait until the decision is mandated.
"I'm not prepared to wait until something goes sideways," Rattenbury said. "We have to be as prepared as we can be."
All of PoMo's full-time and auxiliary dispatchers have been offered jobs with E-Comm.
Earlier this year, Rattenbury formed a committee with members of the executive management team as well as representatives from both the police and CUPE staff unions that explored the possibility of moving to E-Comm over the course of about six months. At the police board's September meeting, Rattenbury recommended PMPD make the switch in 2016.
Police services for PoMo residents will not be affected, Rattenbury said, and PMPD officers will continue to attend every call.
"The 'no call too small' is going to continue."
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