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Reaching the core
All the signs point towards mobile data technology becoming even more embedded in the core business of the emergency services during 2008. Carol Jenkins investigates.
In the police service, the Home Office announced the creation of a £50m fund to roll-out 10,000 mobile data devices to police officers in the coming year. Also, in its document Neighbourhood Policing your police; your community; our commitment produced in 2005, it predicted that by 2008 mobile data would become an important part of neighbourhood policing and that officers would be routinely using the technology to carry out tasks such as form filling and intelligence checks.
In support of this aim, the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) began mobile data trials in six forces in 2006 that are due to be completed this year. The NPIA believes mobile data will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of police officers by enabling secure mobile access to force and national services.
The main aim of the project is to save time and money for forces. The project will define interfaces that can link to major databases such as the Police National Computer (PNC), and by adopting these services officers can access information through hand-held devices thus reducing unnecessary trips to the station.
Other benefits include more accurate identification, higher visibility of uniform officers in the community, and better targeting of resources.
The forces taking part are Bedfordshire, British Transport Police (BTP), Hertfordshire, Staffordshire, Strathclyde and Sussex.
Mobile Data Project Manager at the NPIA Gary Cairns said that the trials have so far produced promising results with BTP and Bedfordshire due to complete their trials this month.
In BTP, 500 officers across London have been trialling mobile data devices in order to streamline their stop-and-search process which has increased since 7/7.
“Officers were unable to cope with the sheer volume of paperwork generated by the increase in stops following the 7/7 attacks,” explained Gary.
“They are now able to record their stops on a hand-held terminal and print out a copy of the record to hand to the person who has been stopped.”
The force has also found that data quality has improved, there have been more appropriate arrests and also reduced investigation time. Other trial sites have seen an enhanced quality of service delivered to the public, improved officer safety, more timely warrant arrests and reduction in voice traffic.
In addition to this work, forces have also been quick to realise the benefits that the technology can bring and have been working in partnership with key providers to adapt mobile data solutions according to the needs of their individual organisations.
Simunix, a supplier of mobile data solutions, along with ukphonebook.com has been providing forces and other emergency service and public sector organisations with online access to multiple UK and overseas data sources.
In particular it has created what is widely acknowledged as the most comprehensive, up-to-date and powerful telephone and address directory in the UK. It has pulled together regularly updated data from the Royal Mail, British Telecom operators, the electoral roll coupled with a vector and bitmap mapping system to officers working in an environment where rapid access to real time intelligence is vital.
Merseyside Police is just one force which has been working with the company to look at the benefits to officers of having this information supplied through mobile data terminals.
Paul McAfee, Head of Business Development at Simunix said that a key issue for officers arriving at a scene is that they have very little intelligence with which to base their decision making.
“They very often only have an address taken from the electoral roll which is updated twice a year. Ukphonebook.com is updated six times a week and provides additional information such as phone numbers as well as addresses and telephone details of any neighbours. It allows officers to access intelligence in ‘real time’ and to make instant decisions.”
The solution is also proving cost effective as it reduces the amount of money forces have to spend on purchasing individual licenses for the information as this is a single source of information. The company is currently working to create a “super database” of key information to improve the system further.
Mobile data is also being successfully deployed in police vehicles as well as the more traditional hand-held version in a bid to increase visibility and improve response times.
Microbus, the supplier of in-vehicle computers to the UK emergency services, has been working with Lancashire Constabulary on introducing a mobile data solution.
Microbus M-PCs have been installed in a number of vehicles. In addition to being used for Police National Computer (PNC) access, the force is also using them for a host of other applications to provide a modern mobile policing solution with the overall aim of increasing the force’s operational visibility. Access over TETRA Airwave to Command & Control allows the effective deployment of officers to incidents; permits them to update incident details; and gives access to the electoral roll, internal telephone directory and duty management functions – without having to return to the station.
Additionally, officers can obtain photographs to aid visual confirmation from Lancashire Constabulary’s local intelligence system. They can access the missing persons system and deal directly with actions associated with specific problem areas or criminals. Stuart Fillingham, Head ICT at Lancashire Constabulary said: “The reliability and ease of use of Microbus vehicle PCs are key factors in the success of our mobile data project. The simplicity with which information is made available to our officers in the field is assisting in realising an increased efficiency and greater police visibility for the force.”
Primetech, a provider of IT network solutions and managed services to the emergency services, has been working with North Yorkshire Police to install satellite communications into its major incident vehicle. It allows multi-user access to all police systems but in particular the force control room where it provides the ability to mirror image dispatcher positions.
Operations in which the satellite communications system have been used vary from search and rescue missions in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales to public order operations and events such as the Great Yorkshire Show. Once set up by the communications team in a matter of minutes, the operators find a simple yet effective way of conducting their duties in a manner that they are used to in the force control room via a Citrix system, with only a minor connectivity delay.
Primetech’s trailer-based satellite communications system recently helped Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service cope with the widespread flooding that affected the county during the summer months. Some of the simplest applications that aided GFRS during this major incident are those that are used most frequently when in an office based environment, for example Internet access and email.
Rob Lacey, Head of IT and Communications at Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The trailer ultimately provided us with full access to all the information held at headquarters. We can now pretty much do anything we want that is office based,” added Lacey. “Some of the simplest applications are what we use the most, such as Internet access and email, which have brought untold benefits to incident management.”
Software company Verint, is working with transport companies to provide wireless solutions that allow for live or scheduled offload of critical video data, while continuous on-board video storage helps ensure that critical images are available if needed. The company has been working with UK fire and rescue service on providing a technology installed in fire appliances. Marketing Manager Robert Wint said a key challenge for the service in future was to introduce a fully integrated, wireless system that would ensure effective communication across the organisation.
Mobile technology company PageOne is also helping British Red Cross emergency response volunteers in the South West and Channel Islands react to emergencies faster with message technology. The volunteers currently manage requests from emergency services and local authorities in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.
PageOne Connect is a web messaging account that offers a secure, feature-rich messaging capability from your desktop PC providing a single point of management for email, two-way SMS messaging and paging systems - all with no new software or hardware required. It was used to communicate with the emergency services during the heavy rains at last year’s Glastonbury festival and also during the flooding in Gloucestershire.
Current projects show the willingness by organisations involved in the public safety arena to work with service providers to produce bespoke solutions that are having a positive impact on delivery across the board. With many more projects being planned for 2008, there is no doubt that mobile data will become more widespread and an even more valuable resource in the coming year.
