The cantonal police corps: cooperation partner from the outset

Thomas Müller, you are in charge of the Alarm Centre. How do you recall the early days of cooperation between the cantonal police and Viasuisse?
Thomas Müller: Cooperation with Viasuisse began almost simultaneously with the inauguration of the new cantonal alarm centre in Solothurn. Initially, we still communicated by fax and telephone. When the GEWI-TIC data acquisition system was installed in mid-2002, cooperation became easier. Since then, our own messages have been displayed on the Viasuisse newsroom screens in real time. But in urgent cases, for instance if a driver is heading in the wrong direction on the motorway, we still use the telephone.

Has your work been affected by the heavy increase in traffic?
In the last few years we have begun to see daily lines of slow-moving or stationary vehicles. By now, traffic jams have become an almost routine occurrence. There are few opportunities to divert traffic from the motorways onto other routes. The capacities of the secondary highway network are simply too limited. That aspect is often underestimated. What we can and must do is give road users precise information as soon as possible. That is why we attach such importance to cooperation with Viasuisse.

How many persons work in the Solothurn alarm centre?
28 employees work here in three shifts round the clock. We take between 1000 and 1500 calls every day. There are hardly any quiet days. Solothurn was one of the first cantons to integrate the emergency ambulance call number into the police centre. In our particular centre, 18 ambulance rescue personnel provide round the clock cover. When a serious accident occurs, the police, ambulance and fire brigade are informed simultaneously. This method has proved successful.

What technical resources does the cantonal police force use to monitor traffic?
Permanently installed cameras are our main resource. In some areas sensors have also been installed. One of their functions is to give an early warning of ice. We can also locate our patrols at any time by GPS and, if the need arises, order them to a particular accident scene immediately. Information given by citizens by telephone also remains a great help to us.

When an accident happens, the police force has to handle a number of different tasks very quickly. When is the traffic message entered in the system?
Our procedure is as follows: 1. make the scene safe, 2. rescue, and 3. take further action. Traffic information is one such further action. When an incident occurs, our people must have taken the first measure within one minute. And our aim is then to ensure that the appropriate traffic message has been entered in the system within five minutes.

Since 2008 ASTRA has been responsible for the national highways. How has this changed your daily work?
Messages are now entered and processed in a triangular relationship between ASTRA, the cantonal police and Viasuisse, after which they are circulated by Viasuisse. Initially, this process brought considerable additional work. Meanwhile, the procedures have been tried and tested and daily cooperation has become routine.

How do you assess cooperation with Viasuisse?
We can rely on Viasuisse and we always know with whom we must get in touch if the need arises because we have a direct contact person. Technical support is very good. Trainings in the data acquisition system which are organised by Viasuisse are also appreciated by our own staff. In short, we welcome cooperation with Viasuisse.

Do you have any wishes for future traffic information?
Complete camera coverage of the motorways would be desirable. Otherwise the present system is working well. Long may it continue!