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MP Committee review calls for further investment in handhelds to improve visible policing
A report published by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee has called for further investment in technology in the police sector and has outlined the view that that mobile devices need to become a standard piece of kit for officers.
Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Committee, said, "The policing in the 21st century inquiry has been an extremely in-depth and thorough look at modern policing. We have looked at modern factors which have had an impact on policing such as high levels of alcohol-related crime and immigration; we have looked at funding; the role of PCSOs; community engagement and public perceptions of crime and the police. I hope that the Government will seriously consider the recommendations that we will make."
The report can be downloaded and viewed in full by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page. The following is a selection of areas in the report directly relating to technology.
1. The role of the police in the 21st century is broader than it has ever been, owing to a sharp rise in crime levels during the second half of the 20th century, the classification of increasing numbers of incidents as criminal offences, the impact of changes in society and technological advances on patterns of criminality, and growing police involvement in multi-agency approaches to public protection. (Paragraph 17)
2. We are disappointed that fraud is not a police priority, given that it is estimated to cost the UK nearly £14 billion per year and identity fraud is a cause of major public concern. We recommend that forces are required to give greater priority to tackling fraud and are allocated sufficient resources to carry out this function. (Paragraph 39)
3. Members of the public are often unsure of how to contact the police in a non-emergency situation, which results in misuse of the 999 emergency number and delays in reporting and resolving low-level crime and anti-social behaviour. We are disappointed that the Home Office withdrew funding from the single 101 non-emergency number, which would have helped to resolve this situation. We recommend that central funding for the single 101 non-emergency number be reinstated and that the scheme be implemented across England and Wales. (Paragraph 58)
4. We support the principle behind providing local people with mobile numbers for their neighbourhood officers, but in this form the proposal is impracticable, given that neighbourhood officers are not always on duty. It may be more appropriate for forces to reconfigure call-handling procedures to ensure that members of the public can access local information and be directed to the relevant local officer. (Paragraph 59)
5. Personal digital assistants can significantly increase the amount of time that police officers spend on visible patrol and dealing with incidents outside the station, and reduce the time they spend on paperwork. We welcome the Home Secretary's recent grant of £50 million to fund PDAs in 19 English forces and her promises of a further £25 million, but recognise that many forces were disappointed not to win funding bids. We recommend that sufficient funding is made available as soon as possible to enable all frontline officers to have access to a PDA. (Paragraph 192)
6. Central procurement of new technology allows for economies of scale, consistent standards and integrated systems, and makes the police service a more attractive client for providers. In addition, while we commend individual innovations towards more effective policing on the part of individual forces, we query how much time is wasted in duplicated efforts. In our view, it is possible to achieve a balance with meeting the needs of individual forces by developing a common platform that can then be tailored to suit the local situation. (Paragraph 205)
7. The National Policing Improvement Agency should take the lead in negotiating the purchase of PDAs and their supporting infrastructure on a uniform basis, in order to reduce costs and remove contractual burdens from individual forces. In doing so, they should give careful consideration to the supporting infrastructure to ensure ease of use and flexibility to adapt to future innovations. It is important that officers who will use the technology are involved in system design to ensure it meets their needs. (Paragraph 206)
8. The British Transport Police play a key role in protecting against the threat of terrorism. It is therefore essential that the force is able to access the Police National Database on the same basis as Home Office forces, to enable intelligence to be shared fully across the service. We hope that, in its reply to this report, the Home Office can provide assurances that funding for this will be forthcoming. (Paragraph 209)
9. The Airwave radio network can struggle to cope where a very large number of users are concentrated in the same area. We are concerned about the potential for the network to fail during the Olympic 2012 games, given the numbers of officers who will be deployed. The Home Office should address this as a matter of urgency, including consideration of expanding the radio band assigned to Airwave. We expect the Home Office to keep us informed as to practical steps they are taking in partnership with Airwave Solutions. (Paragraph 294)
10. We welcome assurances that radio communication between tunnel and surface is now possible through most of the London Underground network. This is of particular importance should the system once again be subject to terrorist attack. The priority for remaining installation work should be those stations with greatest operational need. (Paragraph 295)
