Mobility rollout shifts work from desk to community

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 to reduce the number of outstanding warrants to arrest and help recover unpaid fines," says Mr Marshall.

 

The initial cost of the rollout is $4.3 million. Over the next 12 years, Police will spend $159 million in operating expenditure to fund the technology rollout.  Over the same period, the move is expected to provide Police with productivity benefits of $304.8 million.  A time in motion study using independent experts confirmed the productivity benefits identified in the trial.

 

"We are taking this seriously - districts are held to account in ensuring freed-up time is reinvested into tactics focused on prevention to reduce crime and prosecutions.

 

"Our long term vision is for frontline officers to be empowered, informed, tech-savvy, visible and safe in the community preventing crime, and not in stations filling in forms.

 

"The use of mobile devices goes a long way toward achieving this vision," says Commissioner Marshall.

 

View a video of the 2012 mobility trial on our YouTube channel.