Modern policing is much like modern everything else, slow and hidden in a mountain of paperwork. Now, however, officers of the Lancashire Constabulary have become guinea pigs for the latest technology for the bobby on the go. 250 police officers and 30 support staff will be testing the new O2 Xda II pocket computers, following a previous six-month test involving only 30 officers. The device is aimed to let officers run backgrounds checks on suspects, receive briefings, access the Lancashire missing person’s database and complete some reports and activity logs. If the Lancashire trial is successful it is hoped that the system could be extended to another 1,500 members of the national police force.
Stuart Fillingham, Head of Lancashire Constabulary ICT, said: “It is envisaged that this will help officers to be more effective and visible to the communities by having to spend less time in the police station.” In a ‘pre-trial’ test, the time taken to register a missing person dropped from two hours to twenty minutes. The time saving system should allow more time for officers to be ‘on the beat’ and everyone will be glad to see the back of all that paperwork.