New mobile technology will be a “game-changer” for police in Lichfield and Burntwood.
Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis confirmed that a deal had been agreed for a new programme which will see officers able to access information on the go via mobile tablets.
The new devices will be rolled out in 2015.
“This is a game-changer for policing in Staffordshire,” said Commissioner Ellis. “Too often the technology provided by police both nationally and locally is out of date by the time it’s delivered but that’s not going to happen this time.
“The roll-out of this state-of-the-art technology is probably the most radical and practical change to frontline policing in a generation. Providing the right tools for the job through the best and latest handheld technology will free up officers to be more visible for more of the time.”
Commissioner Ellis claims the new systems will free-up the equivalent of 3,000 frontline officer hours a week.
He added: “Police officers are currently wasting time entering the same information many times on different computer systems – and we’re going to consign that approach to history. Entering the information once, cutting bureaucracy and capturing and using digital evidence on the streets and beyond is where this is heading.
“Technology, which has already transformed other sectors in the last five to ten years, is now set to revolutionise policing to put Staffordshire ahead of any other force in the UK.”
