The government is giving the police another £30m to fund the
deployment of mobile data devices to officers on the beat.
A further 25 police forces are to benefit from the cash, with
devices designed to reduce red tape and improve efficiency in the
fight against crime.
The devices are said to save officers up to 30 minutes per
shift, as they are able to send and receive information while on
the beat, meaning less time in the station and more on the
streets.
Policing minister Vernon Coaker said, "The successes of mobile
information devices show how our investment in new technology is
making crime fighting more effective and saving officers' time.
"They are just one element of a range of improvements we are
delivering to cut unnecessary bureaucracy, exploit new technologies
and enable police officers to spend more time on front-line
policing in communities across the country."
The programme is managed by the
National Policing
Improvement Agency (NPIA) on behalf of the Home Office and the
Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).
Chief Constable Peter Neyroud, chief executive of the NPIA,
said, "This is great news for the police service. Phase one forces
have shown how mobile computers are critical to a modern police
officer.
"Officers who have access to databases, such as the Police
National Computer, command and control and intelligence systems
while out on patrol, are spending less time returning to the
station and more time on the frontline, therefore, increasing
visibility and reassuring the public."
The new funding is in addition to
£50m provided by the government earlier this year to deliver
10,000 devices by the end of September 2008 for phase one of the
programme.
The target was exceeded and there are now more than 13,000
handheld computers being used by frontline officers. With the help
of the extra cash, the total figure will eventually rise to
30,000.