- The ‘Policing 2025 vision’ commits forces to make better use of technology to make it easier for the police and public to communicate with each other
- The Home Office’s multi million pound digital transformation programme is designed to help officers to access information more quickly and efficiently while on patrol
- PCC Martin Surl is a director of the Police ICT Company Board and sits on the Police Reform and Transformation Board
- Surl said: “We all rely more and more on our mobile devices. The public is more digitally sophisticated and expects the police to be as well”
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gloucestershire and the county’s Chief Constable will launch a conference (Wednesday 2 May) examining the benefits of ‘digital’ policing.
The ‘Policing 2025 vision’ commits forces to make better use of technology to make it easier for the police and public to communicate with each other.
The Home Office’s multi million pound digital transformation programme is also designed to help officers to access information more quickly and efficiently while on patrol.
PCC Martin Surl, who is a director of the Police ICT Company Board and sits on the Police Reform and Transformation Board, said: “We all rely more and more on our mobile devices. Because of that, the public is more digitally sophisticated and expects the police to be as well.
“National Programmes are set out to offer new and better ways to do things that will improve many of our current practices. The speed of technology means the police can’t afford to fall behind and the [Gloucestershire] Constabulary has already made great strides in updating its own systems and equipment”.
Wednesday’s Roadshow will involve representatives from the Home Office, emergency services, law enforcement and other stakeholders. As well as a programme update, there will be demonstrations and discussions around how it will impact on policing generally and how local forces should prepare for change.
Gloucestershire’s Chief Constable Rod Hansen said, “Gloucestershire and our colleague Forces in the South West are fully supportive of this change and the importance of technology to enable digital transformation.
“We need to adapt and modernise. Much of policing stands the test of time but some of our methods and technologies lag behind the needs and behavioural changes of the communities we serve. To remain relevant to people in an increasingly digital age we must adapt, keep up and where possible overtake these advancements.
“Digital transformation provides us with a platform from which we can increase our ability to Police, improve our capabilities and evolve further into an even more effective Force”.
