Death of the police notebook(’cause now there’s an app for it!)
FOR generations of Scotland’s police officers it has been a vital weapon in the fight against crime, recording details of every crook, victim and witness.
But the traditional police notebook is now set to be axed – in favour of a smartphone app. As part of a new £50 million contract, every officer in Scotland will be issued with a handheld mobile device to record and submit incident reports, witness statements and on-the-spot fines.
The new Pronto Digital Notebook will also enable officers to log images and video footage from crime scenes, and gain online access to databases such as the Police Command and Control system, the Scottish Criminal History System and the Police National Computer.
Police Scotland says the software alternative to scribbling notes on paper pads will reduce ‘yo-yo policing’ whereby officers have to return to the station several times a day to complete paperwork.
The technology began as a joint University of Glasgow and Crown Office project more than a decade ago and a recent trial by a force south of the Border showed electronic processing of 60,000 witness statements saved an average of 27 minutes and £42 per statement.
The three-year, £49,342,141 National Mobile Working Solution contract also includes a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 smartphone for each officer and a national mobile network contract with EE.
Police Scotland confirmed the rollout would begin soon with 10,000 officers in the first phase, with a further 7,000 to follow.
Response and Community Policing officers will be the first to use the digital notebooks, followed by Road Policing and the Specialist Services Division.
Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said: ‘Our top priority is ensuring Police Scotland officers spend as much time as possible policing in their local communities.
‘Through deploying Pronto, we’re reducing the time officers spend on administrative tasks and paperwork, increasing time spent in the community. Pronto allows our officers to access vital information from police systems when out of the police stations, improving their accuracy and effectiveness whilst dealing with incidents, solving crimes and assisting victims.
He added: ‘The use of mobile devices will revolutionise the way officers and staff access systems, currently only available from desktop and laptop computers within police stations, enabling them to work on crime prevention and community-based policing to keep people safe, whether in the public, private or virtual space.
‘This contract signifies the commitment Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority have in leading the force into a more digitally focussed future.’
David Hamilton, vice-chairman of the Scottish Police Federation representing rank-and-file officers, said: ‘The SPF welcome the introduction of mobile working into Police Scotland. We are one of the last UK Forces to fully adopt this technology and it will lead to less duplication, less travel and deliver more information to officers, where and when they need it.’
The Pronto app is being supplied by Motorola, whose account director Norman Dixon said: ‘The force will see tangible benefits both for frontline police officers and the communities they serve.’
‘Spend as much time as possible policing’