Emergencies

Out of hours telephone call centre

020 8594 8356

For emergency repairs please telephone 020 8592 7388

Communications Centre

The Communications Centre provides the Council's only 24 hour Call Centre. It is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

All telephone conversations within the Communications Call Centre are voice recorded.

The Centre is an integral part of a large range of Council services across every Council Department.

Careline
Out of hours emergency incidents
CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) cameras
Intruder (burglar) alarms
Fire and smoke alarms
Panic alarms
Bogus callers
Emergency Planning
Council Radio System
Council Key-holding service

Communications Centre main activities

The Centre plays an important role in ensuring that Council responsibilities are covered outside all of the normal working times.

This relies heavily on instructions provided by other Departments:

Careline Scheme

The Careline Scheme has been set up to assist frail and elderly people throughout the Borough who may need assistance throughout the full 24 hours.

Out of Hours Incidents

The Centre deals with all Incidents which occur out of normal working hours and which are the responsibility of the Council. These telephone calls are taken on 020 8594 8356.

CCTV System

The primary objective of our borough wide CCTV scheme is to provide a safe environment for the benefit of those who live, trade, visit, service and enjoy the facilities and environment of the Borough.

This system is operated in partnership with the Metropolitan Police with whom close contact is maintained via meetings, telephone calls and faxes.

Intruder (burglar) alarms

The Communications Centre is responsible for monitoring Council premises Intruder alarms via it's Answerlink Social Alarm System.

Fire and smoke alarms

Some Sheltered Housing schemes and some Council properties have their fire and/or smoke alarms monitored by the Communications Centre.

Panic Alarms

Some Council employees are in danger of attack and so the properties in which they work have a manually operated Panic Alarm.

Bogus Callers

Uses specially installed dispersed Social Alarm units and is a partnership between the Communications Centre and the Metropolitan Police.

Identifies and supports residents of the borough who have been repeat victims of bogus callers i.e. phony Water Board or Gas Board officials.

Emergency Planning

The Communications Centre has responsibility for managing the Council's Emergency Plan.

The Plan sets out the way in which the Council will:

Support the emergency services
Support, care for and rehabilitate the community
Restore the environment

Council Radio system monitoring

The Council has it's own 2 channel Radio System

Council Key-holding service

The Communications Centre holds keys for several Council properties where access may be required outside normal working hours.

Types of call we receive

Each year the Centre deals with approximately 156,000 calls each year.

This breaks down as follows:

Approximately 76,000 telephone calls requesting action to be taken behalf of another Department
These result in about 30,000 out of hours incidents being raised
Approximately 34,000 Careline calls
Approximately 46,000 Intruder alarm calls (Including test calls and re-sets)

Contact

Roger Brett

Emergency Planning Manager

Communications Centre

Town Hall

1 Town Square

Barking

IG11 7LU

Tel: 020 8227 3119 or 020 8594 8356 (voice recorded)

Fax: 020 8227 3470

E-mail: roger.brett@lbbd.gov.uk|