Nov/Dec 2005

Merseyside Police is said to be hoping to improve control room productivity, give officers faster access to information, and improve their efficiency and responsiveness with an enhanced mobile data service it is setting up.

The system is based on the existing Mobitex wireless network already used by the force, which is supplied by Transcomm, the BT Redcare subsidiary. This is currently used to track police patrol vehicles and allow fast, secure and reliable computer-aided despatch.

The new initiative will harness the network for database enquiries from the field, streamlining the hundreds of routine checks made from officers in the field every month, and providing an improved command and control service to the Merseyside region.

Vehicles have been equipped with Microbus on-board computer and communication units, which will be used by police to access detailed information directly from the Police National Computer (PNC) and other systems, helping them to identify criminals and known suspects more effectively.

 

In effect, officers will be able to carry out their own roadside PNC checks, reducing the administrative burden of control room staff and raising police effectiveness.

The system is being implemented in two phases. The 135 vehicles in the Wirral area and Merseyside's operational support unit were due to be fitted this autumn, and the rest of the force's 450 patrol vehicles will be equipped during 2006 and 2007.