By . Rebecca Camber . For 118 years, it has borne witness to crimes committed throughout the land. But now the trusty pocket notebook is facing the axe as Britain’s biggest police force announces plans to roll out tablet devices to every bobby on the beat. Scotland Yard is pumping £200million into new technology which will allow officers to record crimes, check warrants and intelligence on suspects, and even order new uniforms at the touch of a button. The pilot scheme of giving 20,000 policemen iPad minis in replacement of their notebooks will be rolled out soon in Hammersmith and Fulham . Apple iPad minis will be handed to 20,000 officers in a bid to slash paperwork and get police out from their desks and back onto the streets. A pilot is launching in Spring with a trial purchase of 600 devices for officers across Hammersmith and Fulham ahead of an anticipated force-wide roll-out from autumn this year. If successful, the tablets will be handed out to every frontline officer over the next three years, making expected annual savings of 30 per cent on the current IT systems. The force will design its own apps, providing templates for recording crimes and taking witness statements, as well as giving officers access to local data such as the number of repeat victims in the area and directions to the nearest A&E department. Officers will also have an app to take evidential pictures and send victims advice directly. Richard Thwaite, the Met’s chief information officer said: ‘We want the officers out there fighting crime on the streets rather than sitting in a police station tapping on a keyboard, not solving anything. ‘Even if they are in Starbucks keying in details, then at least they are out there, visible and accessible and reassuring to the public.’ The new technology is expected to free up police time equivalent to bringing in an additional 900 officers and save £60million. The iPad mini is the smaller counterpart to the original iPad, and is intended to help officers record crimes, as well as check warrants and intelligence on suspects . But critics have questioned the huge expense at a time of unprecedented cuts to frontline officers. John Tully, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation said: ‘I remember when I walked the beat with a notebook and whistle, we really have to move on from there and I hope this will be a progressive step. ‘But there will be times when the battery runs out or there is technical problems. ‘This is a lot of money when we have just gone through a massive swathe of cuts. ‘It is always preferable to maintain police officer numbers as opposed to new pieces of equipment.’ Previous mobile devices have failed to deliver anticipated savings. In 2012, the National Audit Office found that a £80million Home Office scheme to equip officers with 50,000 smartphones had produced savings of just £600,000 out of a projected £125million. In one force, officers spent nearly two hours more per shift behind their desks instead of out on the beat. Last year the Association of Chief Police Officers warned that the Met’s own smartphone purchases could end up as ‘expensive paperweights’ unless they were properly tested, pointing out that constables were unlikely to take their gloves off to use a phone at 3am in the rain. But Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe is convinced it will reduce paperwork, duplication and lead to more criminals being convicted by presenting better evidence at court. He said: ‘We are going to use technology to stop crime, arrest offenders or help victims. ‘We need to keep police officers out of police stations and reduce bureaucracy. Digital policing will help us to do this.’ The Met also wants the public to be able to report crimes using their smartphones and send a text to speak to a police officer. It hopes to shift 1million of the 5million telephone calls received each year to ‘online channels’. The force is already investing heavily in computer programming to forecast where offenders will strike next. The hope with the scheme is that it will get the police out from under their desks and back on the beat by streamlining paperwork and busywork that they have to contend with on a daily basis . In a plot straight out of the Tom Cruise film Minority Report, where a ‘pre crime’ department detains murderers before they kill, police are using computer algorithms to map out where future burglaries are likely to take place. At the same time, 1,000 body-worn video cameras are being introduced across 11 boroughs and in the training unit of the Firearms Command. The cameras will mean that the actions of armed officers will be recorded and may be used as evidence. The move comes as police are trying to win back trust following the police shooting of Mark Duggan, whose death in August 2011 sparked riots across the country. Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Stephen Greenhalgh, said: ‘By taking tough decisions on the budget and the Met Police estate, we are freeing up savings to reinvest in frontline policing and technology, so we can get more officers out on the beat and keep them mobile. ‘The public expect the police to have accurate information on-the-go, and cops deserve the best kit to help them cut crime and serve the public. The Total Technology strategy 2014-17 sets the direction for an unprecedented investment in technology - up to £200m over three years.’ ‘This strategy heralds a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise the Met and ensure it is fully equipped for the demands of 21st century policing.’ London Assembly member Baroness Jones, who is deputy chairman of the Police and Crime Committee, said: 'This is very expensive and it should be very carefully rolled out. ‘I know myself that technology can go wrong, but the concept is a good one.’
The notebook has been a British police equipment staple for 118 years .
Now Scotland Yard is spending £200 million for new technology .
Officers will be given iPad minis in order to try and cut down on paperwork .
20,000 police officers will be given the Apple products in the pilot scheme .
By . Rebecca Camber . For 118 years, it has borne witness to crimes committed throughout the land. But now the trusty pocket notebook is facing the axe as Britain’s biggest police force announces plans to roll out tablet devices to every bobby on the beat. Scotland Yard is pumping £200million into new technology which will allow officers to record crimes, check warrants and intelligence on suspects, and even order new uniforms at the touch of a button. The pilot scheme of giving 20,000 policemen iPad minis in replacement of their notebooks will be rolled out soon in Hammersmith and Fulham . Apple iPad minis will be handed to 20,000 officers in a bid to slash paperwork and get police out from their desks and back onto the streets. A pilot is launching in Spring with a trial purchase of 600 devices for officers across Hammersmith and Fulham ahead of an anticipated force-wide roll-out from autumn this year. If successful, the tablets will be handed out to every frontline officer over the next three years, making expected annual savings of 30 per cent on the current IT systems. The force will design its own apps, providing templates for recording crimes and taking witness statements, as well as giving officers access to local data such as the number of repeat victims in the area and directions to the nearest A&E department. Officers will also have an app to take evidential pictures and send victims advice directly. Richard Thwaite, the Met’s chief information officer said: ‘We want the officers out there fighting crime on the streets rather than sitting in a police station tapping on a keyboard, not solving anything. ‘Even if they are in Starbucks keying in details, then at least they are out there, visible and accessible and reassuring to the public.’ The new technology is expected to free up police time equivalent to bringing in an additional 900 officers and save £60million. The iPad mini is the smaller counterpart to the original iPad, and is intended to help officers record crimes, as well as check warrants and intelligence on suspects . But critics have questioned the huge expense at a time of unprecedented cuts to frontline officers. John Tully, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation said: ‘I remember when I walked the beat with a notebook and whistle, we really have to move on from there and I hope this will be a progressive step. ‘But there will be times when the battery runs out or there is technical problems. ‘This is a lot of money when we have just gone through a massive swathe of cuts. ‘It is always preferable to maintain police officer numbers as opposed to new pieces of equipment.’ Previous mobile devices have failed to deliver anticipated savings. In 2012, the National Audit Office found that a £80million Home Office scheme to equip officers with 50,000 smartphones had produced savings of just £600,000 out of a projected £125million. In one force, officers spent nearly two hours more per shift behind their desks instead of out on the beat. Last year the Association of Chief Police Officers warned that the Met’s own smartphone purchases could end up as ‘expensive paperweights’ unless they were properly tested, pointing out that constables were unlikely to take their gloves off to use a phone at 3am in the rain. But Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe is convinced it will reduce paperwork, duplication and lead to more criminals being convicted by presenting better evidence at court. He said: ‘We are going to use technology to stop crime, arrest offenders or help victims. ‘We need to keep police officers out of police stations and reduce bureaucracy. Digital policing will help us to do this.’ The Met also wants the public to be able to report crimes using their smartphones and send a text to speak to a police officer. It hopes to shift 1million of the 5million telephone calls received each year to ‘online channels’. The force is already investing heavily in computer programming to forecast where offenders will strike next. The hope with the scheme is that it will get the police out from under their desks and back on the beat by streamlining paperwork and busywork that they have to contend with on a daily basis . In a plot straight out of the Tom Cruise film Minority Report, where a ‘pre crime’ department detains murderers before they kill, police are using computer algorithms to map out where future burglaries are likely to take place. At the same time, 1,000 body-worn video cameras are being introduced across 11 boroughs and in the training unit of the Firearms Command. The cameras will mean that the actions of armed officers will be recorded and may be used as evidence. The move comes as police are trying to win back trust following the police shooting of Mark Duggan, whose death in August 2011 sparked riots across the country. Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Stephen Greenhalgh, said: ‘By taking tough decisions on the budget and the Met Police estate, we are freeing up savings to reinvest in frontline policing and technology, so we can get more officers out on the beat and keep them mobile. ‘The public expect the police to have accurate information on-the-go, and cops deserve the best kit to help them cut crime and serve the public. The Total Technology strategy 2014-17 sets the direction for an unprecedented investment in technology - up to £200m over three years.’ ‘This strategy heralds a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise the Met and ensure it is fully equipped for the demands of 21st century policing.’ London Assembly member Baroness Jones, who is deputy chairman of the Police and Crime Committee, said: 'This is very expensive and it should be very carefully rolled out. ‘I know myself that technology can go wrong, but the concept is a good one.’
By . Rebecca Camber . For 118 years, it has borne on the beat. Scotland Yard is pumping £200million touch of a button. The pilot scheme of giving 20,000 policemen iPad minis in replacement of Hammersmith and Fulham . Apple iPad minis will be reassuring to the public.’ The new technology is to keep police officers out of police stations