In action
supplying mobile data solutions for the Met- registered keeper driving the car, you can check
ropolitan Police and Strathclyde Police. “We the car and the keeper with a few taps. It’s that
have a team of Arqiva people on-site providing thinking that offi cers like, because it’s quick. It’s
Airwave support, support for our ICCS and quicker than doing it through Control Room,
everything associated with mobile communica- because Control Room would have to re-key.”
tions”, says Wayne Parkes. “We’ve had a long- Some offi cers, he notices, prefer to work with
term relationship with Arqiva and a built up a their mobile device even while they are inside
very positive partnership over the years, so that the police station because it saves having to log
was the natural place for us to go for mobile on. Th ey also fi nd the device more convenient.
data support. In conjunction with West Mid- But he cautions that form-fi lling isn’t necessar-
lands, we have been evaluating all the solutions, ily quicker just because you are doing it elec-
the main ones around on the marketplace, and tronically: a big and complicated form might
it was easier for us to work with Arqiva because take much longer to complete if you are hav-
of our relationship.” ing to scroll it back and forth on a tiny PDA.
To secure the best possible outcome, the “It’s very limited, what amount you can fi t on a
team took an open-minded approach to typical PDA screen”, he points out. “And if you
evaluating the wireless data equipment. “It
With the portable wireless devices, offi cers caused a shock to some of the staff that we
are making more intensive use of the Police gave it to”, said Tony Taylor. “Th ey expected
Realizing the
National Computer, fi nds project manager us to say, ‘Here you are, now use it for this,
Phil Richardson. “Now that they can do this and this’. But we’ve said, ‘How do you
wireless vision
checks on their own, they are performing a think you can actually use it? What is on there
lot more checks”, he says that would help you doing your job?’ It’s so
unusual for them to actually have that oppor-
F
or Inspector Mark Payne, Warwickshire
Police’s business change manager for
“In policing terms, this may appear to be re- tunity to help develop it themselves and make
mobile data, the vision begins when the
ally small stuff , but in public confi dence terms it fi t the business needs.”
police offi cer books on at the very start of
it’s actually quite big – we may have prevented Warwickshire Police began the fi eld trials in
a shift, using a handheld wireless device.
an accident and potential injury on the roads of May and currently it is the Arqiva off ering that
“They are immediately briefed on what has
Warwickshire”, Mr Parkes comments. Th rough is on test. “We’ve had 30 devices out with our
happened on their local patch or the area
positive encounters of this kind, he believes, the Safer Neighbourhood teams”, says Phil Rich-
they are going to be policing – all the current
force can improve public confi dence in polic- ardson. “We brought those back in and we are
issues, taskings that have been given out,
ing services and address one recurring grumble now rolling out the devices to a diff erent group
locally and at force level; intelligence, what
about the police: “Despite passing everyone’s of offi cers – our traffi c and reactive offi cers.”
the intelligence department are actually
house now and again, people still say, ‘I never “We’ve been quite keen to get out there and
looking for in terms of ‘what car is so-and-so
see a police offi cer!’ ” just learn and fi nd out what works and what
driving?’
For the PCSOs in particular, increasingly doesn’t”, adds Inspector Payne. “You’ve really
“So they start their shift fully informed
the eyes and ears of the police in their local got to go and fi nd out for yourself what is go-
from that device as to exactly what
communities, the wireless terminals have been ing to work.”
appointments they’ve got, what’s required
an empowering experience, Inspector Payne
of them. It makes them more accountable
fi nds. “One of them said, ‘Th ere are addresses Electronic forms
because afterwards you can’t have this issue
that I know I need to watch, and I now look But many of the expected benefi ts of wireless
of ‘I wasn’t told’.
and see what cars are coming and going be- data – such as improved public confi dence in
“And then, while you are out there doing
cause I’ve got the device. I’m running checks the police – cannot easily be quantifi ed in cash
that job, the need for you to return back to
that I wouldn’t bother control room with’.” terms. So for every police force involved, the
the police station is very reduced – because all
With online access to police information re- challenge is to identify measurable business
the information you need in terms of dealing
sources, the PCSO can build up a picture of benefi ts to be expected from what will be a size-
with incidents, and all the enquiries attached
his beat, including a knowledge of the local able investment. One of the clearest is likely to
to that, are handled by that device.
villains and their habits. “He said, ‘Before I fl ow from the use of electronic forms to replace
“When you come back in, all the form-
had this device, I didn’t know’.” traditional police paperwork.
fi lling has gone off, so you know your
“One of the things that PDAs are really good
paperwork is in. We need to greatly reduce all
Technical backing at is this ability to enter data once and then
this paperwork, which is the Holy Grail. And
Between them, Warwickshire and West Mid- make multiple use of it, to save re-keying”, In-
by routeing everything through the device,
lands Police have evaluated a range of wireless spector Payne explains. “Typically with police
the back offi ce benefi ts, the management
devices and applications, reducing the fi eld to work, you fi ll out a crime report, you’ll fi ll out
benefi ts. You are dealing with data that is
just two candidates: a package developed by Ar- a ‘stops’ form, you’ll fi ll out a whole range of
accurate and you’ve got a very clear idea
qiva and Detica, using a PDA from HTC, and forms. But with the device, once that name and
of what your team are currently doing and
a solution from Beat Solutions using a PDA address is on there, you can keep using it.
where they are doing it.
from HTC and a BlackBerry. “With the Arqiva solution, you can do a
“And it’s more immediate: you don’t have
Supplying technical support for the War- PNC check on a car, which will give you the
this time-lag of paperwork going on.... Your
wickshire trial is Arqiva, which already provides registered keeper’s name and address. It then
crime pattern information and so on are all
mobile communications support for Warwick- allows you to take that straight into a name-
bang up to date.”
shire Police as a managed service. Arqiva is also check on the registered keeper. So if it’s the
LAND mobile October 2009 29
227-30 Warwickshire police.indd 297-30 Warwickshire police.indd 29 221/10/09 11:17:031/10/09 11:17:03
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