You are in:
Q & A with Beat Systems' Roy Hawes about Cleveland contract to supply 1,400 mobile devices
It has been announced recently that Cleveland Police Force recently signed a contract with Beat Systems and Steria worth £7.9 million to bring 1,400 mobile devices to front line officers. BAPCO Journal spoke to Roy Hawes, Commercial Director of Beat Systems who provided the software to Cleveland, to find out more.
How did you come to win the contract with Cleveland?
Roy Hawes: There were a series of formal procurement tenders put out by Cleveland that we had to go through to get to the stage where we could demonstrate what our technology does. Because we are able to offer an ‘out of the box solution’ that requires little installation and is very simple to adapt to, it meant Cleveland didn’t have to worry about long implantations or training.
Because we have contracts with several other police forces Cleveland was also able to get a good level of feedback from our current clients to find out information from those who have used us. They spoke to both front line officers and senior police staff and from that were able to get a good understanding of what we are able to provide.
What are the benefits going to be for Cleveland Police?
The benefits of mobile technology are widely documented and for good reason. Beat Systems’ technology has been designed by officers for use by officers. It remains the only mobile solution built around police business processes. With our solution officers are now able to complete far more of their administration work on the beat. They can fill in forms documenting incidents and access databases to give them information before they attend a call. For example, if they are called to an incident at an address, they could look up any on-file information about that address, previous incidents, occupants records, and so on to have as much knowledge as possible before they arrive. This means they are better prepared and as a result a lot safer. Furthermore, the public is safer too as the police are now being better prepared for calls before they arrive.
When will the devices go live in Cleveland?
Currently the schedule is for all devices to be live by the end of the year with Hartlepool the first area to have them, with 200 going live. Recently Home Secretary Jacqui Smith visited Cleveland Police and she was shown Beat Systems’ solution, which is going to be used by officers. It was great to know that our solution was presented to the Home Secretary and underlines the importance of the government funding that has come to the fore in this area.
What do officers make of the new technology?
We’ve heard lots of very positive things from people but the main sentiment that underlines the impact the devices are having and will have as they rolled out is that officers are likening their introduction to the impact police radios had. The Police realise that the use of these devices is not a technology fad that doesn’t bring benefits but is a necessary and vital tool for modern policing. A point emphasised by the Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, Sean Price, who said, “Our partnership with Beat Systems will ensure Cleveland Police remains at the forefront of modern policing and crime fighting.”
