Special Constables in communities across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent will be the latest to get new mobile technology introduced by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis.
All frontline police officers and PCSOs across Staffordshire have been equipped with new smartphone and tablet devices to give them the information and tools they need at their finger-tips. This will make them more visible to local people by stopping them having to return to stations to complete paperwork, submit reports or statements, and access files.
Now, 100 Specials will receive the new technology by the end of the summer, meaning that they will be able to spend more time out and about in communities. The allocation of mobile devices will be based on operational need and go to Specials who are identified in each Local Policing Team area.
Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis instigated a new approach to the Special Constabulary in Staffordshire in 2014. It aimed to improve the service even further including longer and more comprehensive training for existing and new Specials, better equipment including new technology and more chances to widen the policing activities they are involved with.
He said: “Special Constables make a massive contribution to society and provide a crucial additional link between the police and local communities.
“I want to make sure Specials have the right tools for the job as they serve alongside their regular colleagues.
“This is about getting officers out into the community – more visible and more available. This new technology means all officers can spend less time on admin in a police station and more time in the communities they serve.
“It’s early days, but the feedback I’ve had from officers has been positive. They’re amazed at how good the technology is and the potential it has to free them up to be out of police stations and on the streets.
“Over the next 12 months, police visibility will rise because of this new technology. When fully bedded in, it will help free up an extra 250,000 hours of police time to be out on the beat a year which is the equivalent of an extra 100 officers on duty.
“It is pioneering work that puts Staffordshire ahead of the majority of forces in the country, but more importantly we are taking a significant step to delivering the kind of policing local people tell me they want and need.”
A small number of Specials have already got the devices as part of a prototype for policing in Cannock and Rugeley where the local policing team has been selected to test new ways of doing things better for victims, witnesses and communities.
Simon Anderson, Chief Officer for Staffordshire Special Constabulary, welcomed the roll- out of mobile technology to a further 100 Specials, which will begin in April.
He said: “Specials play a key role in local policing – strengthened by the quality of training and range of opportunities they have – so the fact they are getting this new technology is a massive step forward for them.
“One hundred Specials will get mobile devices and training from April onwards which means that they will be able to respond to communities’ needs in a more productive manner.”
The roll-out of mobile devices is part of wider investment in technology that will dramatically improve Staffordshire Police’s intelligence capability and make it the most efficient, agile and effective police force in the country.
In February, the Commissioner announced a new technology partnership which has seen Boeing become the Strategic IT Partner for Staffordshire Police. Boeing will bring transformational capability to Staffordshire Police, providing new cutting edge technology and greater opportunities to work more effectively with partner organisations and local communities – as well as greater capability in fighting crime. It will dramatically improve the capability and capacity of Staffordshire Police and save money compared to the current annual running costs for IT for the Police.
There are almost 300 Specials in Staffordshire. For more details on joining, visit www.StaffsSpecials.org
