Mobility rollout shifts work from desk to community
February 13, 2013, 11:27 am
Police Commissioner Peter Marshall says the decision for Police to roll out smartphones and tablets to frontline staff will fundamentally change the way these officers do their jobs.
"We believe greater use of modern technology is the way of the future; it's common sense, and will ensure officers can remain on the frontline rather than returning to stations to complete paperwork," he says.
From April this year over 6,000 frontline district staff will receive the mobile technology. The initial rollout is expected to take approximately three months.
"Today's announcement follows a successful 11-month trial involving more than 100 frontline officers in Lower Hutt, Napier, Counties-Manukau West and West Coast. The officers were enthusiastic about how the mobile technology helped them become more efficient and effective and this was supported by an evaluation process," says Commissioner Marshall
The expected time savings of 30 minutes per officer per shift will be reinvested into preventative policing activities.
"These may include on-the-spot checks, which enable officers to verify whether people are wanted to arrest or whether vehicles, or their owners, have outstanding fines against them. This is expected