The £30 million bureaucracy busting devices save officers up to 30 minutes per shift as they are able to send and receive information while on the beat - meaning less time in the station and more on the streets. The money, including an extra £5 million on top of the £25 million announced in the Policing Green Paper 'From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing Our Communities Together', will build on the existing investment to provide a total of 30,000 handheld computers by March 2010. All forces across England, Scotland and Wales will be given a portion of funding to roll-out the mobile information programme. The latest allocation of mobile information devices to 25 forces and two agencies is the second phase of a programme to use technology to cut red tape. Policing Minister Vernon Coaker said: "The successes of mobile information devices show how our investment in new technology is making crime fighting more effective and saving officers' time. "They are just one element of a range of improvements we are delivering to cut unnecessary bureaucracy, exploit new technologies and enable police officers to spend more time on front line policing in communities across the country." The programme is managed by the (NPIA) on behalf of the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). Chief Constable Peter Neyroud, Chief Executive of the NPIA, said: "This is great news for the police service. Phase one forces have shown how mobile computers are critical to a modern police officer. Officers who have access to databases, such as the Police National Computer, command and control and intelligence systems while out on patrol, are spending less time returning to the station and more time on the frontline - therefore increasing visibility and reassuring the public. "Phase two of the initiative will build on this success and enable more officers to take advantage of the benefits of mobile devices." ACPO lead for mobile information and Deputy Chief Constable of British Transport Police Andy Trotter said: "This is an excellent example of 21st century technology enabling officers to get back to their traditional role - out on the beat protecting people. "This type of technology streamlines administrative processes and improves intelligence sharing to get officers out from behind their desks and on to the streets. The public want to see highly visible patrols of officers tackling crime and providing reassurance. I am determined we consider every possible solution to enable us to deliver the type of policing people want." The new Funding is in addition to £50 million provided by the Government earlier this year to deliver 10,000 devices by the end of September 2008 for phase one of the programme. The target was exceeded and there are now over 13,000 handheld computers being used by frontline officers. Ends Notes to Editors: About NPIA The organisation's creation in April 2007 streamlined and simplified the way that policing improvement is delivered locally and nationally. NPIA works for the police service and is governed by a tripartite board comprising ACPO, APA, Home Office and independent members. The ACPO President is a member of the NPIA Board. Forces were asked to apply for a portion of the £50 million, detailing how they would deliver mobile devices to their area. Phase 2 is focused on supporting the forces that were unfunded in phase one. Total Government funding for phase two is £30 million. The following 25 forces were successful in their bid for a portion of this money: Avon and Somerset Constabulary, City of London Police, Cleveland Police, Cumbria Constabulary, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Dorset Police, Durham Constabulary, Dyfed-Powys Police, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Greater Manchester Police, Gwent Police, Hampshire Constabulary, Merseyside Police, Norfolk Constabulary, Northumbria Police, North Wales Police, South Wales Police, South Yorkshire Police, Suffolk Constabulary, Surrey Police, Sussex Police, Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Constabulary, West Midlands Police and Wiltshire Constabulary. The two agencies who have received funding are ACPO Terrorism and Allied Matters and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). The 27 phase one forces now using the hand-held computers are: the East Midlands Collaboration, (made up of Nottinghamshire Police, Leicestershire Constabulary, Lincolnshire Police, Derbyshire Constabulary and Northamptonshire Police), Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Association of Police Forces in Scotland (all eight Scottish forces), British Transport Police, Staffordshire Police, Cheshire Constabulary, Essex Police, Lancashire Constabulary, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Thames Valley Police, Yorkshire collaboration (North Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police, Humberside Police), Kent Police and the Metropolitan Police Service. The Mobile Information Programme provides an opportunity to deliver on Sir Ronnie Flanagan Review of Policing Recommendation 10, which aims to reduce bureaucracy. Some of the themes highlighted in Sir Ronnie Flanagan's review, include:
NPIA is a single national organisation created to support effective policing. It provides expertise in areas as diverse as information and communications technology, support to information and intelligence sharing, core police processes, managing change and recruiting, developing and deploying people.
About Mobile Information
The Prime Minister announced in September 2007 that 10,000 handheld computers would be operational within 12 months. The Home Office responded by providing £50 million capital investment for the NPIA to support police service in delivering this pledge.
