Metropolitan Police Service Case Study - Eurim

Metropolitan Police Service
Case Study
Operational PDAs - delivering more for less
MPS Overview
The Metropolitan Police Service covers an area of 620 square miles and a population of 7.2
million. We employ more than 32,500 officers together with about 14,200 police staff, 230 traffic
wardens and 4,300 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). The MPS is also supported by
more than 3,600 volunteer police officers in the Metropolitan Special Constabulary (MSC) and its
Employer Supported Policing (ESP) programme.
The Project
With 32,500 officers constantly on the move, both requiring information and supplying it, mobility
has become important for the MPS. Getting the right information, to the right people, at the right
time, is crucial to maximising the effectiveness of front line policing and being there for London.
The Operational PDA project aims to rollout a tailored MPS solution specifically designed to
support frontline officers in the performance of operational duties and improve our service to the
public. Funding for 3,700 devices was provided in part by the Home Office mobile device
allocation and supplemented by local MPS funding.
Background
Initial trials held in 2006/7 demonstrated the significant benefit gained by equipping selected
officers with a tailored PDA device. At every stage, from inception through to delivery, the MPS
have been careful to evaluate and develop their approach to create the greatest efficiency and
effectiveness gains. Close partnership working with the National Policing Improvement Agency
(NPIA), drawing on findings from pilot studies and other forces experiences has resulted in the
creation of a strategy that focuses on a deep understanding of the ‘real’ needs of the service.
This coupled with a continuous focus on driving device usage, has enabled the realisation of
significant and growing benefits and seen the MPS achieving among the highest daily usage
figures when compared with 20 other forces.
The MPS have now rolled out 2,200 devices to a number of operational units, working closely
with local teams to ensure that the devices have been allocated to the officers that seek to benefit
the most. The remaining 1,500 are due for rollout in early 2011. PDAs currently provide users
with mobile access to the Police National Computer (PNC), the National Mobile Phone Register
(NMPR), the Voters database, Stop and Search 5090 forms and Fixed Penalty Notices.
Additional applications, including email and calendar are undergoing testing and will be added in
the future.
Benefits overview
Having on-the-spot access to information and systems has a number of operational benefits:
Reduces bureaucracy by reducing the reliance on manual processes, paperwork and
back office staff
Reduces re-keying meaning information can be entered into key systems at the scene,
eliminating the need to re-enter when back at the station
Reduces officer enquiry time and the speed of processing forms
Improves access to and quality of information, both available to and captured by
officers, leading to improved officer safety and improved decision-making
Encourages efficiency by reducing the dependence on paper copies and helping police
staff and officers make better use of their time

Metropolitan Police Service
Case Study
Feedback from officers
• 73.1% officers surveyed believed that the PDA helped to improve their personal operational
performance.
“I can do checks quicker and easier and therefore perform a more thorough investigation at
the time.”
“I love the 5090 (Stop and Search) aspect as this saves significant time in duplicating from
pocket book to 5090 and then to the stops database.”
“Its ease of use and time saving encourages you to be more proactive and productive.”
• 21% have said PDAs have helped to improve their confidence.
“It helps me to check information in written form and saves me double checking information
given over the radio. It helps increase my confidence because it looks very professional, I
know that I have the empowerment to find the information I need in the order I need it and not
have to recall given info over the radio. It’s great!”
“Being able to access information quicker allows officers to be dynamic and more
professional on the streets.”
Time savings
By modeling each process before and after the deployment of the devices, MPS analyses
estimate that with some applications, such as Stop and Search and PNC name checks, it can
save up to five minutes of an officer’s time per transaction.
Summary - delivering more for less
By ensuring the Operational PDAs are deployed to the officers that will benefit the most, the MPS
is ensuring these devices deliver more for less. The rollout of these devices improves the service
we provide to the public and is directly supportive of the confidence for our communities and
safety for the public aspect of the MPS policing priorities.
The devices reduce the need for officers to go back to the station to re-key information, speeding
up enquiry times and forms processing, reducing paperwork and helping to improve the quality of
information to aid on the spot decision-making. In addition to this, PDAs also benefit members of
the public who are helping us with our enquiries, as direct access to key information allows
enquiries to be completed at a faster pace, helping to minimise disruption to the individual.
With the potential to save up to five minutes of an officer’s time per transaction and with
thousands of these types of transactions conducted every week, it means officers can dedicate
more of their time patrolling the streets and keeping the city safe for Londoners and visitors.