Lancashire Constabulary is to become the first UK police
force to deploy a force-wide mobile data system, involving up to
3,500 users.
Police officers throughout Lancashire will soon be using mobile
devices that will enable them to spend less time in the station and
more time out on the streets.
The move is part of a strategic investment by Lancashire
Constabulary designed to reduce unnecessary paperwork, reinforce
nationally recognised levels of quality and performance, and
provide the public with more visibility of patrolling officers.
O2 Airwave, which provides the national police mobile
communications network, has won a contract to provide Lancashire
with a managed force-wide strategic mobile data solution, based
around the Airwave Mobile Applications Gateway (MAG) Service and
the national secure Airwave Tetra digital communications
network.
The contract runs over 10 years and follows a successful pilot
that saw O2 Airwave working closely with Lancashire Constabulary
for almost four years to develop the mobile data solution.
Stuart Fillingham, head of ICT for the Lancashire force, said:
“Over the next couple of years we will be developing new mobile
versions of our key police systems, such as crime recording and
command and control. This will involve significant investments in
internal resources and we therefore required a future-proofed,
long-term mobile data platform that will support these developments
well into the next decade."
Device options over the Airwave Tetra network range include
fixed “in-vehicle” mobile data terminals (MDTs) and portable
Tetra-enabled PDAs.
In addition, for use over the O2 GPRS network, Lancashire
Constabulary has selected the O2 XDA range of PDAs, which are
connected by secure VPN link to the
O2 Airwave MAG Service.
The MAG Service is future proofed, being able to connect with
other network services such as 3G and Wi-Fi.
The contract with O2 will allow Lancashire officers to send and
receive colour images of wanted, suspect and missing persons; check
local intelligence databases against suspect persons or vehicles;
undertake searches on the Police National Computer; enter a wide
range of reports direct to their portable computer before
transmitting them back to base; handle e-mails, and other
capabilities.
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