New mobile technology rolled out for police in Shropshire

Officers across West Mercia are now equipped with smartphones and laptops, allowing them to work on the move and spend more time with the public.

As officers no longer have to return to police stations to do admin work, on average, an extra hour per officer, per shift, is being spent out and about in the community.

Officers say they are now able to complete paperwork for collisions at the roadside, use apps to check suspects against their photographs, speak to translators over the phone, contact missing people to ensure they are safe and well, have the ability to check logs with crucial information and find officers in remote locations.

They also have a new app that allows them to file information on the crime scene, can update witnesses and victims on the spot and can access local systems outside of the force area, which covers Shropshire, Hereford and Worcester.

There have already been successes outside of the county. In Kidderminster, an officer was mobile working when he spotted a vehicle that he had coincidently just been researching. As a result he was able to stop the driver, and three people were arrested for money laundering and drug supply.

Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said “I promised to back the force with the investment and resources it needs to become more responsive to changing demands and this is exactly what I have delivered. Our communities asked for our police to be more visible and I have delivered this through this technology.

Along with the extra time, officers have far more capabilities than they did previously, helping them to provide a better service to the public. We’re caught up and now I promise to keep up, to ensure this ordinary technology continues to have an extraordinary benefit for our communities.”

Assistant Chief Constable Richard Moore said “The alliance investment in technology is modernising the way we work, helping us to operate with maximum effectiveness. The roll out of 2,600 laptops and 2000 smartphones means officers can achieve much more without the need to return-to-base to complete paperwork. These developments are helping us to improve efficiency, quality of service, and to protect the most vulnerable people from harm”