Mobile and Wireless Technology in Police Sector

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More and more Police Services are examining and implementing the use of mobile technology to supply critical information to patrol officers out in the field. With Government initiatives, driving for improved public service and a decrease in crime figures - Mobile Data will help Police Forces to achieve these targets.

The adoption of mobile applications and wireless technology is providing a powerful solution to police officers out in the field. By implementing real-time data access it is allowing instant, up-to-date information and improving productivity throughout the Police Service by improving communications.

Now more and more police services are deploying wireless and mobile technology integration including seamless roaming capabilities as part of their long term strategy, to ensure quality and continuity of public service at lower costs.

Facing the Challenge

One positive move in creating and maintaining excellence in quality of service is by adopting Seamless Roaming as part of the mobile data strategy.

New technologies such as Seamless Roaming, and new applications of existing technologies, such as GPRS, are being used in the search for operational efficiency to achieve mobile data from any location. New standards such as WiFi will help facilitate access to and the sharing of data for officers anywhere within the service, and prove to be a vital tool in all policing objectives.

The Technology

Brand's Apollo Solution, matured over 14 years of successful deployment, is making mobile data a reality for business-critical data applications using Seamless Roaming for organisations across the world. Providing a secure connection for the mobile user whilst travelling from location to location, it removes the uncertainty of using a wireless network to transfer vital information by transparently integrating GSM, GPRS, Tetra and WiFi networking with LAN environments, both within the enterprise, and in the field and provides automatic recovery from dropped connections without repeating a data transaction and assures that data is never lost, corrupted or compromised.

Brand's 'Seamless Roaming' offers mobile users the added benefits of high compression levels, fast packet loss recovery and dynamic switching between 802.11b, GPRS or other bearer networks depending on availability during the same transaction. The solution also has the capacity to aggregate bandwidth from different public carriers, or dissimilar communication bearer types.

Another major concern for police services would be the security of information and network security. Brand provides significant protection to the network and data by using authentication (AES Advanced Encryption Standard-3DES replacement) and encryption security which complies with all the standards.

Practical Solutions

The Officer on the Beat

The Police Officer is attending an burglary in the local vicinity. By using a CE device he/she connects to the HQ LAN via GRPS, the police officer can access the reporting facility and enter the details of the crime in real time whilst at the scene. The police officer is able to issue a crime number to the victim whilst at the scene - enabling the victim to get on with the clear up process.

The whole mobile data experience has made the police service more responsive to critical information and actions them in a more effective and efficient manner.

Highway Patrol Vehicle

An Patrol Car is travelling around the county. Using a on-board cameras they are able to capture car registration plates whilst on the move using ANPR technology. Suddenly an alarm flag is raised - using real time GPRS technology - the PNC Computer has matched a stolen car reported missing fifteen minutes ago in the county in front of the patrol car. The Patrol car can to pursue the car instantly and are able to pull the car over and apprehend the occupants.

By being able to access data whilst on the move, the patrol car is able to provide a far more efficient and faster service.

Summary

Seamless Roaming represents an important step towards a new way of working within the police service. Both the service and workforce benefit from the implementation of mobile technologies; as it makes the working process a more effective and efficient one. In addition, customer care is dramatically improved by information being available when are where the service is being carried out and insuring records are accurately updated.

Brand's solutions are deployed in many organisations across the world and specialises in implementing mission-critical wireless strategies. Brand's 'Apollo' solutions make mobile data a reality using session management. It removes the uncertainty of using a wireless network to transfer vital information and ensures compatibility with almost all data devices and networks resulting in a future-proofed investment for any police organisation, allowing access to all IP-based applications from the Headquarters or in the field.