Steve Norris, Managing Partner of O2’s Criminal Justice and Emergency Services Practice.
As part of an ongoing drive to deliver flexible connectivity across the public sector, O2 is providing Sussex Police with a host of services to increase mobility and integration
O2, in partnership with Airwave, a Motorola Solutions company, is now supporting Sussex Police in its efforts to improve the efficiency of its officers across the community with a robust suite of tried and tested communications services. It will now provide Sussex Police with a comprehensive suite of services to improve cost reduction and help it collaborate effectively with its partner force, Surrey Police, to improve overall productivity.
The service package includes a number of components all focused on making collaboration and information sharing much easier, meaning officers’ time is prioritised in the most valuable way. The services, which include the Pronto application suite from Airwave, will enable remote working and access to the Sussex Police Records Management System (Niche) as well as national policing systems and other police services. This means officers across different locations and forces can attend a scene and share data in real time rather than having to drive back to an office location to share and upload information.
Loaded onto smart devices used by police forces, the Pronto suite of applications saves police officers valuable time by synchronising any information captured on the frontline with back office systems, dramatically reducing the form-filling process. For example, an officer stopping a motorist suspected of speeding can quickly select the appropriate electronic form. If the suspect is subsequently accused of driving without a license or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, all of the data entered for the first speeding-related form can be instantly replicated – a process that would have previously required the officer to hand write three separate forms and then take them back to the station to process.
Sussex Police is currently one of 16 police forces in Great Britain that has equipped frontline police officers with this specialised mobile technology, accounting for over a third of police forces.
The collaboration capabilities and digitisation of back office processes that O2 and its partners are now delivering are expected to drive a substantial increase in available shift time for officers helping Sussex Police improve policing in a more cost effective way.
Steve Norris, Managing Partner of O2’s Criminal Justice and Emergency Services Practice, said, “Sussex Police is a very forward thinking force and this partnership is an excellent example of how collaboration and connectivity can enable the force to reduce costs, streamline work processes across locations and communicate vital information, all of which have a positive impact on both the police force and the public.”
Ian McCullagh, Vice President at Motorola Solutions and Managing Director of Airwave, said, “We are delighted to be collaborating with O2 and Sussex Police. More than a third of UK police forces are now reaping the rewards of Pronto’s efficiency savings, something that’s more important than ever in this time of tight budgets and public demand for greater visibility of police forces.”
