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Beat bobbies get computer boost
Police officers will be spending more time on the beat thanks to a £50m Government scheme to supply them with handheld computers.
Forces in the East Midlands have been allocated 8.3m to spend, with Northamptonshire Police planning to buy 700 Blackberry portable computers by September so that officers can access information while out on the street.
The new equipment will initially allow officers to access their emails and make appointments.
But it is hoped in future the system will be used to confirm identities using national databases, carry out stop-and-search paperwork and take fingerprints on the scene.
Northamptonshire Chief Constable Peter Maddison said: "Mobile data devices will make it easier for frontline personnel in neighbourhood policing teams, scenes-of-crimes officers and response officers to do their job more efficiently.
"This funding will greatly help us move forward in improving the service the public receives. As the technology develops, so does the potential for usage by the police."
Forces who have tried the scheme have reported an increase in the amount of time officers are out on the beat and a more effective use of their time as they are able to access information when waiting to book people into cells or in between calls.
Twenty-seven forces across the UK have been chosen to receive Government funding.
Policing minister Tony McNulty has worked with the Association of Chief Police Officers and other police bodies to put the scheme together and secure funding from the Home Office.
Mr McNulty said: "We are investing in new technology to make crimefighting more effective and to save officers' time. It is just one element of a range of improvements we are delivering to cut unnecessary bureaucracy, exploit new technologies and enable officers to spend more time on front- line policing."
However, Kettering resident Sue Purcell is not confident the scheme will work.
She said: "I don't know how much paperwork police officers do but I suspect it is quite a lot. Anything that enables the police to be out on the street can only be a good thing.
"But I don't think Blackberries are the solution. They need to get more officers and get them on the street."
n Opinion – page 8
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Weather for Kettering
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
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Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
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