Ministério da Administração Interna (Ministry of Internal Administration)
Gabinete do Ministro (Minister's Office)
Order
Creates conditions to ensure provision of caller location information to authorities handling calls to the "112" single European emergency number
In accordance with paragraph 3 of article 26 of Directive 2002/22/EC, of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 7 March, it is binding upon Member States to ensure that undertakings which operate telephone networks make caller location information available to authorities handling emergencies, to such an extent as is technically feasible, for all calls to the "112" single European emergency number.
Law no. 5/2004 of 10 February, the Electronic Communications Law, which transposed Directive 2002/22/EC into national legislation, stipulates that all end-users of publicly available telephone services have the right to access the “112” single European emergency number free of charge. It is incumbent upon the undertakings that provide such services to make caller location information available to the authorities responsible for such handling calls (paragraphs 1 and 2 of article 51).
Accordingly, and in the meantime, work has been carried out among the providers of communication services.
It is important that mechanisms are defined, on the part of the operators of this service and for the emergency telephone exchanges that cover the country, that will ensure a system that will allow the emergency services to ascertain, as quickly as possible, where the caller in need of assistance is located, in compliance with the provisions of article 51 of Law no. 5/2004 of 10 February.
The communications network for the “112” emergency number is based at emergency telephone exchanges responsible for answering emergency calls and activating emergency systems as set out by article 3 of Decree-Law no. 73/97, of 3 April, and must be operated by the emergency services under the provisions of an order to be issued by the Minister for Internal Administration.
Accordingly, under the terms of paragraph 3 of article 3 of Decree-Law no. 73/97, of 3 April, it is hereby determined that:
1 - The handling of calls made to the “112” single European emergency number, shall be the responsibility of the National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana -GNR) and Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública - PSP) law enforcement agencies, as part of their remit for the operation of the emergency exchanges. Accordingly these services shall adopt, as permitted by law, such procedures as will enable them to receive from the operators of communication services, the information that will allow them to immediately ascertain the geographical location of callers to the emergency number.
2 - For the said purpose the GNR and PSP shall adopt, in liaison with ICP-ANACOM and the operators, such measures as may be necessary to ensure interoperability, compatibility and interaction between their emergency exchanges and the communication and information systems of those companies that provide publicly available telephone services and networks.
3 - The emergency exchanges shall be configured to ensure that applicable location data is communicated to the other emergency and rescue services for such purposes as set out by article 51 of Law no. 5/2004.
4 - The law enforcement agencies shall coordinate with the other services involved in providing response to emergencies to ensure the implementation of such technical and operational measures as may be necessary for the fulfilment of the stipulations set out in the above paragraphs.
20 September 2006 - For the Minister of State and for Internal Administration, José Manuel Santos de Magalhães, Assistant Secretary of State for Internal Administration.
