Paul
Webb, DRS Senior Account Manager (Police sector), joined Surrey police
in 1975 where he spent six years on beat duties and CID attachments
and seven years on traffic policing. He now works for DRS helping to
streamline the task of capturing data from frontline policing applications
and developing a strategy for intelligent forms based processing and
mobile data capture within the Police environment.
Bureaucracy pervades all areas of the police service. Last year, one
UK force attributed 6245 days off sick to stress. The Police Federation
stated that bureaucracy and extra paperwork were to blame.
The National Community Safety Plan 2006-2009, while commendable in its
aims, will undoubtedly add to the bureaucracy within the police service
leading to a drag on resources and reduced efficiency as a result.
In other words, the burden of bureaucracy is likely to become heavier
to bear for the police as changes in legislation and new powers come
into force. Ultimately, we can expect to see fewer officers on the streets.
But stop any person in the street and ask them what they would like
from their police service and I guarantee the answer will revolve around
'more bobbies on the beat'. The public want a visible police presence.
The challenge for the service is how to achieve this while still meeting
key Government objectives.
Technology could be key in the control of bureaucracy as it is about
keeping police officers on the streets. Without a doubt, the right technology
can lead to greater accuracy and efficiency in recording events and
increase the speed in which that data is collected and eventually disseminated.
DRS is one company that provides systems and develops front line applications
to assist in collecting important data more quickly and accurately,
such as street encounter forms that are easy to complete and involve
no further input by the officer back at the police station.
At the end of a shift an officer simply puts the completed form into
a digital sender or fax machine and the form image is transmitted to
a central location. The form is Quality Controlled at this location
and the data validated before being allowed to populate any desired
back end systems. This process is necessary to ensure quality of data
and to check for any missing information.
Forces, such as Nottinghamshire, currently using this technology report
no back log of reports and are able to work much quicker with the Intelligence
gathered. This procedure can also apply to Mobile Data Capture, incorporating
the quality control of data before it is allowed to populate backend
systems.
Technology never comes cheap, but then neither do people and it can
produce a practical solution and a real return on Investment, so long
as it meets the user's requirements.
There can be no quick fix. Any relationship with a technology provider
must be viewed as part of the investment; to be able to nurture the
relationship and see the application grow and develop, allowing for
improvements and changes dictated by requirement.
The aim must be a paperless future for the Police service, a system
where forms and procedures are housed in an electronic repository and
simply extracted on demand, with strict security in place allowing access
at certain levels. These forms and procedures would be adopted on a
national level and not fragmented, supporting the free exchange and
share of information across the board.
With this system there would be no storage problems in respect of paper
and no environmental problems in respect of printing and photocopying,
not to mention the benefits associated with the monetary savings in
these areas. This is a huge step and one that will only work if all
supporting agencies accept the electronic worth of a document.
The vision of a paperless future is realistic and achievable if technology
is allowed to help police with the burden of bureaucracy it faces now
and for the future. We really can reduce bureaucracy and increase efficiency
if given the chance. The police service is a business; and like any
business it needs to run efficiently and without compromise.