Police praise for mobile device

The rollout of mobile devices by Police Scotland has freed up more than 400,000 hours of officer time in just one year, it has been revealed

Response, community and frontline specialist officers in Renfrewshire and all of the force’s other 12 divisions, are equipped with devices enabling them to access police systems without the need to return to their station and log on to a computer.

The increased functionality and ability to conduct checks and process administrative tasks whilst on the go has saved officers a total of 444,496 hours.

This means officers can spend more time in their communities dealing with incidents, supporting victims and focusing on crime prevention.

Previously, when officers dealt with a crime, they would have to return to base to record details of the incident on the appropriate systems and to complete paperwork.

Statements which traditionally would be written into a notebook and transcribed, are now typed directly to the device through the digital notebook function Pronto.

Officers can now carry out their own checks which could previously only be done via the area control room.

When investigating missing person enquiries, officers can now upload and share images immediately with fellow officers which is a vital tool when time is critical.

Superintendent Craig Smith, of Police Scotland’s Digitally Enabled Policing Programme, said: “Mobile working for response, community officers and frontline specialist officers is a major milestone which is positively changing the operational policing approach in Scotland.”