MPS rolls out thousands of PDAs to frontline officers

Frontline police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) have got their own personal assistants following the rollout of the 3,700 bespoke mobile operational devices to selected officers across the service.

The hand held PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) offer immediate mobile access to operational databases and electronic forms on the go and have the potential to save up to five minutes of an officer`s time per transaction.

The PDAs have six applications so far, with further applications planned for the future. Current applications include:

• Police National Computer for name, vehicle and driving license checks;
• National Mobile Phone Register to check whether property, such as phones or laptops are registered as lost or stolen;
• Voters database to check a person`s details against the Electoral Register;
• Stop and Search/Account forms to register a stop and search activity when an officer has reasonable grounds to suspect that an individual is carrying drugs, weapons or stolen property, or general items that could be used to commit crime or to cause criminal damage;
• Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for use in common road traffic offences without the need for automatic court proceedings; and
• Collision/Accident Report Books (CARBs) to report a road traffic incident.

According to the latest figures, operational PDAs are estimated to be saving MPS officers around 11,700 hours per month, increasing the availability of officers to provide a strong visible presence on our streets.

The most popular applications are exceeding 100,000 transactions a month, meaning officers can dedicate more of their time patrolling the streets and keeping the city safe for Londoners and visitors.

Commander Tony Eastaugh, senior officer in charge of the operational PDA rollout, said: “The commissioner has spoken about our drive to provide `better policing for less` and equipping officers with PDAs is supportive of this.

“With the information they need at their fingertips, it enables our officers to conduct their enquiries quickly and effectively. It also demonstrates how technology is becoming a fundamental part of modern day policing, helping us to improve the service we offer to the public.

“The time savings, growing usage figures and officers` enthusiasm for the devices is proof of the value they are bringing to the Met.”