Police given hand-held computers - 27th May 2008 3:34am
Originally Posted by bbc
Details of a £50m scheme to provide police forces with 10,000 hand-held computers have been unveiled.
Some 27 forces in England and Scotland will benefit from the devices, which Gordon Brown last year said would cut paperwork by 99 minutes per shift.
Police Minister Tony McNulty said the move would make crime fighting more effective and save officers time.
However, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said there were not enough devices to meet demand.
Mr McNulty said of the initiative: "It is just one of a range of improvements we are delivering to cut unnecessary bureaucracy, exploit new technologies and enable police officers to spend more time on frontline policing."
Ailsa Beaton from Acpo said demand from forces showed the "appetite within the police service for mobile communications in support of frontline officers".
"Demand has far outstripped supply and consequently some forces were disappointed," she said.
Mr McNulty said he understood Acpo's concern, but added: "It's a start and we need to learn and grow about how to use these devices as we roll [them] out."
Database access
Uses for the computers will include confirming identity, on-the-spot forms such as stop and search, and scanning fingerprints.
Some 27 forces in England and Scotland will benefit from the devices, which Gordon Brown last year said would cut paperwork by 99 minutes per shift.
Police Minister Tony McNulty said the move would make crime fighting more effective and save officers time.
However, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said there were not enough devices to meet demand.
Mr McNulty said of the initiative: "It is just one of a range of improvements we are delivering to cut unnecessary bureaucracy, exploit new technologies and enable police officers to spend more time on frontline policing."
Ailsa Beaton from Acpo said demand from forces showed the "appetite within the police service for mobile communications in support of frontline officers".
"Demand has far outstripped supply and consequently some forces were disappointed," she said.
Mr McNulty said he understood Acpo's concern, but added: "It's a start and we need to learn and grow about how to use these devices as we roll [them] out."
Database access
Uses for the computers will include confirming identity, on-the-spot forms such as stop and search, and scanning fingerprints.
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BBC Website
what a wasted of money 