Last year, the UK’s summer of unrest underscored an urgent need for innovation in public safety technology, with 86% of Britons identifying rising crime and public disorder as critical concerns.
Reports indicate that violence with injury in England and Wales increased to an estimated 562,000 incidents in the year ending June 2024, a rise from around 376,000 incidents in the year ending June 2023.
It wasn’t just the UK that experienced unrest. The Global Protest Tracker from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace shows new protests erupted in 83 countries, including Denmark, Norway, and the Republic of Ireland. In the face of such large increases in disorder, traditional public safety systems are being pushed to their limits.
Legacy systems, constrained by bandwidth and voice-centric capabilities, fail to meet the dynamic demands of modern crises. In contrast, 5G technology is emerging as a transformative force, redefining how law enforcement, emergency responders, and public safety agencies operate during crises.
Modernisation a must for public safety
A recent report from America’s National Emergency Number Association (NENA) highlighted that outdated infrastructure remains a major challenge for emergency communications. Over three-quarters of emergency communications centres (ECCs) have experienced service outages that impeded emergency call handling.
Furthermore, fewer than 27 per cent support text messaging services, and only 24 per cent can receive incident imagery such as photos or live video. These limitations are often rooted in the legacy infrastructure of public safety networks, which were primarily designed for voice communications.
5G networks offer capabilities such as high-definition live video streaming from body-worn cameras, drones, and surveillance systems, enabling enhanced situational awareness and real-time decision-making. However, these benefits can only be fully realised when the broader public safety ecosystem is also modernised.
This includes upgrading operational procedures, command and control systems, and adopting next-generation solutions like NG911 and NG112, which are specifically designed to support multimedia emergency communications. Therefore, while 5G is a key enabler, the transformation requires an end-to-end systems approach that encompasses both network infrastructure (RAN and core) and the readiness of other elements of a public safety system and supporting applications.
High-definition video footage - streamed in real time from sources such as body-worn cameras, drones, and surveillance systems - can significantly enhance situational awareness for command centres.
This enables faster, more informed decision-making during rapidly evolving incidents. When supported by 5G’s low-latency, high-throughput capabilities, this information can be delivered with minimal delay, particularly in the field.
However, the full value of such data is only realised when integrated into modernised command and control systems and PSAPs that can process, analyse, and act on it effectively.
Advanced applications powered by AI and predictive analytics - typically part of broader PSAP/command and control modernisation - can further amplify this impact. A study by Accenture found that AI-driven analytics reduced emergency response times by up to 40 per cent in urban safety initiatives, illustrating the potential of these systems for preemptive threat mitigation.
For example, real-time analysis of crowd movements or social media trends can help authorities anticipate and contain emerging risks before they escalate. Whilst 5G provides the network foundation for fast, rich data transmission, it must be part of a wider digital transformation across emergency services to be truly effective.
Seamless coordination among first responders
Emergency situations often require coordination among multiple agencies in chaotic environments, where unreliable communication can significantly impact outcomes.
Critical communication networks based on 4G and 5G ensures highly reliable voice and data connectivity, allowing effective collaboration among police, paramedics, and fire services. Integrated location-based services enhance operational efficiency by allowing real-time tracking of personnel and assets, ensuring teams on the ground and in command centres stay informed and connected.
Leveraging IoT for enhanced safety
In high-risk environments, first responders rely on IoT devices for real-time safety insights. Studies show that biometric wearables can improve first responder survival rates during high-stress operations, thanks to constant monitoring of vital signs.
Additionally, environmental sensors can detect chemical hazards, alerting teams to potential dangers and enabling swift, informed responses. These IoT devices, enabled by 5G’s massive IoT capabilities and RedCap features, create a comprehensive safety net for both responders and the public.
Deploying autonomous response units
Broadband mission-critical networks that rely on 4G and 5G technologies also facilitate the deployment of autonomous drones and robots capable of assessing volatile scenes before human intervention.
These units can navigate hazardous areas, providing live data and high-resolution imagery to command centres.
This approach minimises risk to personnel and allows for rapid, informed responses to unfolding events. For instance, Nokia’s collaboration with Citymesh in Belgium has led to the deployment of an operational drone network, enhancing emergency response capabilities and infrastructure inspection.
Scalability/prioritisation and mission-critical reliability
Prioritisation is a critical factor during large-scale emergencies. During the 2022 UEFA Champions League final in Paris, network congestion on a commercial 4G network, overloaded by general users, delayed emergency communications by over 20 minutes.
This highlights the importance of traffic prioritisation in commercial networks, or even better, a dedicated broadband network to ensure first responders can communicate effectively during crises.
Features like eMBMS (4G) and MBS (5G) enable efficient multicast and broadcast services by delivering critical information to multiple users simultaneously, optimising bandwidth and reducing latency. However, other mechanisms are essential for end-to-end prioritisation.
These include QoS Class Identifier (QCI) for differentiated service quality, Access classes for controlling user access during high-load scenarios, and Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP) for admission control and pre-emption.
These features ensure that emergency communications are prioritised, even when network resources are scarce.
In scenarios where public safety networks share radio access infrastructure with commercial operators, these prioritisation and control mechanisms become even more critical.
They help guarantee that first responders retain network access and service priority over regular users, safeguarding operational effectiveness when it matters most.
These capabilities ensure that law enforcement and emergency responders can operate efficiently, even during high-demand situations. Nokia’s expertise in implementing MBS ensures reliable, resource-efficient communications that meet the stringent demands of public safety agencies.
With violent crime rates and public unrest on the rise, the implementation of 5G for critical communication into public safety frameworks is not just an upgrade, it’s a necessity. Technologies such as 4G and 5G empower law enforcement and first responders with the tools to act faster, smarter, and more effectively, ensuring safer outcomes for communities.
As public safety agencies adopt broadband technologies, they gain access to new capabilities like real-time video, predictive analytics, and a seamless evolution path towards 6G, with technologies fully standardised. This smooth transition ensures that public safety networks continue to meet future demands, unlike current narrowband technologies such as DMR, P25, and TETRA.
At Nokia, we’re committed to driving this transformation, providing the technologies and solutions that empower those who protect us.
