Staffordshire Sets Out To Transform Policing With Mobile Technology

Staffordshire Police is investing £500,000 in a roll out of computer tables to Police officers in the area, claiming it will “fundamentally transform” Policing.

The project, which will see all front line officers equipped with mobile technology in a bid to cut down on red tape, is due to begin in March and April.

According to Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis, using computers to access information and input data could free up around 5000 man hours a week – or, the equivalent of 100 extra officers.

Ellis told local press that front line officers spend about six out of every 10 hours in communities rather than in Police stations, but hopes that adopting tablets will change this to nine out of 10 hours.

He also hopes to reduce the number of mistakes and incomplete reports and the time spent travelling back and forth from the station because officers will be able to input statements directly onto the tablets and upload them to a central server.

“It’s about Police being given more time to do what they want to be doing and what the public want them to be doing, which is out-and-about Policing,” Ellis claimed.

Police Technology “Needs Improvement”

The Commissioner believes that Police technology across the UK is overall “not good” and thinks the standard does not meet what could be expected in 2015.

“A radical overhaul of the way technology is used, the way it works, will fundamentally improve Policing and get more Police out and about for more of the time,” he claimed.

The tablets will form part of a wider focus on technology and IT systems for Staffordshire Police that is expected to cost £46m over the next seven years.

Body cameras have been given to more than 1000 police officers across the country to capture criminal evidence on film and it is planned that 300 core computer systems can be simplified by appointing an IT partner to work with the Police on long-term management.

Healthcare organisations across the country are also adopting similar technology strategies, including a Scottish NHS body which has also invested £500K in tablets.  

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