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Beating time - with new technologies
Joe Fielder, Sales Director of intelligent monitoring & tracking experts BT redcare, explains why the police should look at the new technologies being introduced that enable them to increase presence in the community and maximise operational efficiencies, as a way to make the goal of reducing crime and the fear of crime a reality...
A real question has to be can we do it, can UK police forces positively move to make a real impact on crime statistics and also reduce the public’s fear of crime? In the wake of current security fears this may seem like a tall order, especially given questions of prioritisation of already limited budgets. But it’s something that society, it seems, increasingly sees as a given.
The good news is signposts to the future exist, in forces as diverse as The London Metropolitan Police, Merseyside and Sussex Constabularies. What we can see at such forces is a move to positively adopt the right technologies to provide platforms to address the key areas of better interaction with citizens and communities, the need to provide more visible policing, and the need to work more efficiently and effectively.
Information Communication Technology (ICT) based solutions play a vital part here. Tools such as secure, efficient mobile data exchange and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) linked to CCTV networks are just some of the ways to maximum use of resources, enabling the police to concentrate on one of their prime roles of crime prevention. Ultimately however, as with all successful modern organisational structures, it must be a combination of people, processes and technology.
communications breakdown?
Of course, the recent hard-hitting report on 7/7 along with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) recommendations have highlighted these issues and flagged the need to upgrade communications systems. By ‘communications’ we mean not just the physical transmission and reception of data (vital though that is, and in many ways still more of an issue than many of us would like). It also means communications in the sense of linking internal and external interfaces between staff, systems, the general public and other stakeholders.
Forces are readying themselves for among other things the introduction of the National Single Non-Emergency Number (SNEN), with the first wave rollout already underway, while also working to meet new performance and care standards ushered in this April, which are supplying real benchmarks for performance.
Many of the UK’s police forces are using these developments to forge a new ‘end to end,’ citizen-focused, responsive communications strategy. They are working to understand their local citizens’ needs, issues and requirements as part of a programme of real community engagement. They are using this to inform and equip their teams with appropriate ICT resources and infrastructure. And they are developing and supporting their staff to work effectively with such systems, valuing their experience and input into the improvement of the overall process.
The incredible hard work going in at so many levels has to be acknowledged. A key focus area we see time and again is enhancing the flow of information to the officer in the field. This is a recognised area for improvement: commentators ranging from Macpherson, HMIC and the Met EODB have all pointed to the need for robust and reliable mobile access to data, while ACPO research has indicated that mobile data access could save forces up to £11 million a year and increase police visibility.
This is where the power and speed of today’s mobile data solutions can really start making a difference. Using such solutions can be key to reducing crimes and increasing police presence. For instance, they can provide comprehensive and accurate information on patrol locations and availability, plus enable look ups on back office systems such as the PNC to be made much faster, so enabling more checks to be carried out. In addition they are already enabling a significant increase in ANPR validations to be done while ‘on the move’ by using high speed mobile data links.
in-vehicle – but very much in-touch
When we say ‘on the move,’ we mean of course in-vehicle. To really make a difference, any mobile data system that a uniformed officer will actually find useful has to be able to transfer data quickly between the back office / station HQ and the car he’s driving in. It must also be capable of updating data in real time when the vehicle is mobile, support all the relevant applications and options he may need, and, it goes without saying, do so completely securely. in addition, the system should not require the police officer to become a radio engineer , the system must be robust and easy to use.
Thankfully such systems are now available, indeed, in use. For instance, the London Metropolitan Police,which has just implemented the largest mobile data project in Europe, has now rolled mobile data terminals to over 1,500 vehicle vehicles across many of its London boroughs. The effect has been dramatic, as via a combination of satellite navigation (gps) accuracy and reliable and secure bandwidth, communications data can be accessed and transmitted in real–time, right to the point where it is needed most: the officer on patrol.
Added to this ‘front line’ success there is also a significant ‘back office’ payback in terms of reduced administration. One such example is the way mobile data solutions can slash the time needed to issue notices and process details into back office systems, by allowing much of this to be done on the beat.
In the day to day police work of Merseyside, for example, uniformed staff have cut time that used to be spent on a PNC check with a call to a control room operator with instant access to the PNC database from the vehicle. So at a glance they have the information on vehicle licensing, insurance and any disqualified driver data they need to take action much more swiftly.
harnessing CCTV
A further example, linked to 7/7, is the way in which CCTV is deployed and administered. Post incident, thousands of video tapes had to be manually examined, a task that took many officers away from their vital roles in the field. But a better use of resources would be to deploy intelligent digital storage and image analysis at the control room level so that there can be more emphasis on prevention – control alerts/alarms based on intelligent video monitoring for objects left unattended, for instance, or recognised suspicious behaviour patterns. Thus when serious incidents occur again, faster retrieval of the right images and at the required image quality can be more easily achieved, leading to more effective and timely prosecutions.
Data encryption and tamper detection security on stored images mean images are virtually tamper-proof and will stand up to interrogation in court. Another advantage is that the systems can be accessed remotely from secure channels, so evidence searches can be carried out from any authorised location. This saves time in searching for and copying important material.
The advantages of these solutions from the police perspective range from technical robustness to convenience to responsiveness. Forces using these kinds of approaches are already reporting operational improvements, such as allowing control room staff to see where response vehicles are at all times, so that support and response can be directed more efficiently, accurately and faster.
Other benefits include mapping features that are allowing patrol officers to locate incidents more quickly, whilst on the management front patrol sergeants have access to the system so that they can get a better command picture of what police officers are in attendance, those potentially able to offer back-up and the range of incidents in individual boroughs requiring a response. In addition the system can log who was where, at what time, which can be critical in post incident investigations.
Essentially such systems, based on the kind of link between communications and information we said should be the ultimate aim of all citizen-focused initiatives, work well by cutting out time previously spent collecting data, allowing the team to deal more quickly with the task in hand. Because relevant information gets sent straight to the terminal in the car, officers spend less radio time requesting background information for incidents, freeing the radio for it’s prime role, co-ordination and command of incidents and improving officer safety; and through direct access to the force systems and national databases officers are empowered by having real-time access to critical police information.
Since rollout of the data terminals at the Met, for instance, PNC checks have risen a third, to 2.4m vehicle checks and 1.6m name checks per month; at Merseyside, officers can now complete and log relevant information at the scene of incidents rather than radio in and risk ambiguities or inaccuracies in filing reports.
That’s partly proof the approach is working at the coal face, as acceptance of these systems is half the battle. In the Met’s use of the system, apart from in-vehicle staff use, checks by supervisors of the BOCU Open Incidents report have seen rises of 25%, a further indication that the system is helping to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
technology yes, but not at any price
We’ve talked a lot about technology. But of course what can hamper return on investment, is not spending enough time on the people side of change. A way that seems to work here is a step by step approach, working ‘bottom up’ to secure the buy in of staff. This avoids any sense of change being driven from above and helps more rapid acceptance of new ways of working. And it is widely accepted that an incremental approach based on clearly realisable short term wins delivers consistent project success.
beyond 7/7
The overall aim, however, should always be to use the right techniques to make more efficient use of officer and civilian time, office space and resources. Many police forces are recognising this and are beginning to make the right moves. As more examples demonstrating real, tangible, measurable, and achievable, returns on investment from mobile and security camera solutions onward come through, this shows the need to seriously investigate the use of such policing aids.
Overall let’s not forget that the 7/7 events shouldn’t obscure the fact that not all communications systems showed inadequacies, some services did prove resilient enough to keep running during the drastic events that day, a signal that things are on the right path. But if forces are to meet government targets, interface with other emergency services and organisations, provide more visible presence, more of a deterrent and more reassurance to the general public, as well as meet the public’s security concerns over national emergencies, they need to make much more positive use of the right technology now, to assist their officers and their processes in becoming even more efficient and effective. By so doing, real and measurable ongoing success is possible.
