Police get new £2m nerve centre control

This £2million state-of-the-art of building was today unveiled as West Midlands Police's new nerve centre, where everything from the Pope's visit to Birmingham to major football matches will be co-ordinated.

The Events Control Suite (ECS) at Tally Ho! in Edgbaston has taken a year to complete and has come in ahead of schedule and under budget.

The 7,500 sq ft building, which was funded by the police authority and a Home Office grant, has been kitted out with the latest technology.

Video conferencing equipment and computers which can produce maps have been installed.

Live CCTV from across Birmingham can be streamed directly into the building. Live images from Wolverhampton will be added at some point in the future.

Its first major operation will be to co-ordinate policing for the Pope's VIP visit to the region in September, which will be followed by the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham in October.

Sixty work stations have been installed and there is space for ambulance, fire, Army and council staff to work during major incidents.

Upcoming football and cricket matches will be controlled from the centre, on the Pershore Road.

Project manager Natalie Childs said: "Events such as these will give us the opportunity to test the centre's capabilities before it gets its first major outing with the Pope's high-profile visit.

"The benefit of the ECS is the ability to get the facility 'up and running' within half-an-hour, with all necessary equipment and facilities already in-situ.

"CCTV, audio visual and standard police systems will enable the control of events to operate more efficiently."

Construction manager Stuart Ridley added: "Birmingham's profile has improved and, as a result, the city has more, larger public venues which demand proportionate policing resources.

"For what it is going to deliver, the event control suite should be a very useful and important building."