Oct/Nov 2007

Commercial tracking systems designed for vehicle fleets can have other applications as well. A good example is provided at Hampshire County Council, where a tracking system from CMS has been adapted for use in a crime reporting initiative called CADDIE (Crime And Disorder Database and Information Exchange).

At the heart of the new system is a GPS-enabled PDA carried by every community safety officer on the street. This identifies their current position and allows them to report incidents quickly to the CADDIE database, where the data is used to compile crime statistics by postcode. The information is then also available to post on a Web-based street-level map for public information.

The reports are also summarised and made available to district councils, the police and other agencies needing reliable information about trouble hotspots in order to collate crime statistics, formulate prevention strategies and allocate resources to implement these.

The system was designed by Hampshire County Council in collaboration with wireless systems specialist Eye Spy and CMS Global Technologies, who have worked together previously. It removes the requirement for CSOs to log incidents and file them manually.

Among features of the system is a bespoke new reporting format designed by CMS, which aims to speed up the reporting process and uses standard police categories for reporting crime, ensuring uniformity of reporting. Entries are made using a touchpad and stylus to check specific boxes or input descriptive text.

County safety manager Paul Hayes says the scheme 'marks the start of a new era in the way that modern problems such as antisocial behaviour and environmental issues are tackled.'