This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
Hampshire Constabulary has entered a new era of policing with the force-wide roll-out of mobile data commencing on the Isle of Wight.
With the purchase of more than 160 Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) agreed by Hampshire Police Authority, the new equipment has started to be fitted to the constabulary fleet, of which 10 per cent will be located on the island.
IW leading the way
In support of Chief Constable Alex Marshall’s pledge to make the best use of the force’s resources, the island will be the first policing area within the two counties where all uniformed officers will have access to mobile data, via BlackBerry Smartphones or MDTs.
Training for the constabulary’s response officers that are based on the island has started in the spring months in order that they are all fully prepared ahead of the unique summer demands on policing services that the Isle of Wight provides, in the form of music festivals and sailing regattas.
Once officers have been supplied with the necessary IT skills, they will then be able to access the key functions that are normally found on a station-based computer terminal from their vehicles.
Will increase Police visibility
The use of the fully-portable devices will increase police visibility within communities as officers will have access to live briefing information, enabling them to be in the right place at the right time to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. The additional access to live information from force databases will also keep officers better informed when making decisions to protect residents.
Members of the public who interact with the police will also experience officers entering vital data straight to the force’s database and carrying out enquiries on laptops, while situated in a residential or commercial environment.
Deputy Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: “Evidence from trials has shown that access to mobile data dramatically reduces a police officer’s dependency on a police station.
“As a result, residents on the island will be seeing a lot more of their police officers in their communities over the coming months.”
Jacqui Rayment, chair of Hampshire Police Authority, said: “We are very pleased to enable officers to be more visible to our local communities by undertaking work out in the field that would previously have had to be carried out at a station.”
