Smartphones keep officers out in the community

All frontline officers and police community support officers in South Yorkshire now have access to BlackBerry Smartphones, which enables them to access real-time police information when out on patrol, keeping them out in the community for longer.

A number of policing applications have been developed by the Force on the mobile device, which enables officers to access police information, records and complete certain forms, such as Stop and Search forms and National intelligence Reports (NIR).

Temporary Inspector Simon Davies said; "The introduction of BlackBerry smartphones for the Force has been a success, as it enables officers to access data and information at the point of need, improving response times, reducing Airwave usage and making better use of public resources.

"So if you see an officer texting in the street, this is not for personal use, they are accessing important police information to help them carry out their job more effectively and prevent them from having to return to the station, so they can stay out in the community, keeping the public safe."

The use of BlackBerry smartphones is a major move forward for South Yorkshire Police in terms of service delivery and has provided the Force with a significant advantage when fighting crime and dealing with offenders. Officers are using the camera on the device to photograph evidence on the spot, such as footprints in the snow and emailing each other photos of offenders or missing people to aide with the search.