Police Scotland sets out its five-year Digital Strategy

The five-year strategy outlines the existing and emerging technologies available to policing to ensure officers and staff are equipped to keep communities safe in the 21st century

It will be discussed at the next Scottish Police Authority Board meeting in Edinburgh on Thursday (August 24).

Deputy Chief Constable Designate Fiona Taylor QPM said: “This strategy outlines requirements for further investment in digital technology to better enable our officers and staff to keep people safe in the 21st century.

“However, our ability to achieve our ambitions will depend on appropriate revenue and capital funding being made available to us.

“Police Scotland has an important role in modernising criminal justice to benefit the public we serve by introducing new technology, such as the establishment of a single national crime system, the greater use of video interviews, digital evidence sharing and virtual courts, and improved digital contact services for the public

“We know technology such as mobile working can improve officer and staff safety, alongside improving public trust and confidence, and this strategy reaffirms our commitment to make body worn video widely available across the service.”

She added: “When we do introduce new technology, we are committed to engagement with partners and the public so we can address any concerns and ensure the use of the technology is transparent, ethical, and aligned with our values of fairness, integrity, respect, and our commitment to upholding human rights.”

The strategy also details what has already been achieved with the introduction of a new digital contact management system to protect emergency 999 and non-emergency 101 services, the deployment and upgrade of more than 15,000 mobile devices and the continued rollout of national crime and case management systems to officers and staff across Scotland.