Skip to navigation

PCPro-Computing in the Real World Printed from www.pcpro.co.uk

Register to receive our regular email newsletter at http://www.pcpro.co.uk/registration.

The newsletter contains links to our latest PC news, product reviews, features and how-to guides, plus special offers and competitions.

Latest News

Arm all police with PDAs report suggests

Posted on 11 Nov 2008 at 14:10

All police officers in the UK should have access to a handheld computer when they're on the beat, a Government report claims.

"All frontline officers should have access to a personal digital assistant," says the Policing in the 21st Century report from the Home Affairs Select Committee.

Using a device such as a BlackBerry could boost the amount of time officers stay out on patrol by cutting their paperwork, the report claims. It goes on to note that 14,000 BlackBerrys are already in use by 28 forces across the country.

However, one stumbling block could be that seven out of ten officers surveyed in the Scottish Police Federation said PDAs made them less efficient. Another problem is that the cost of giving an officer a device for five years ranged from £3,000 to £6,500.

Since the publication of the Flanagan report on policing technology, 19 English forces have won funding for 10,000 devices. The Government has also announced another £25 million to fund 30,000 additional devices on top of the original £50 million.

The report also notes such technology could help avoid data duplication, as 70% of information is currently entered into policing systems more than once.

Author: Nicole Kobie

Be the first to comment this article

You need to Login or Register to comment.

(optional)

advertisement

Most Commented News Stories
Latest Blog Posts Subscribe to our RSS Feeds
Latest Reviews Subscribe to our RSS Feeds
Latest Real World Computing

advertisement

Sponsored Links
 
SEARCH
SIGN UP

Your email:

Your password:

remember me

advertisement


Hitwise Top 10 Website 2008