Nottinghamshire Police set to deploy the next generation of Blackberry-enabled mobile intelligence systems

In preparation for full deployment of BlackBerry-enabled mobile technology and introduction of a new Customer Service Desk system, Nottinghamshire Police Force has upgraded to the latest version of ABM's Information Management System (IMS).

Martin Hansen, Director of Information at Nottinghamshire Police commented: "First and foremost, we wanted the new IT release to support the scene of crime module as well as enhance the links to existing platforms such as Command and Control. Working in partnership with the force, ABM extended its generic interfaces platform to fulfil the future expansion of these exciting new initiatives.

"As part of the mobile data project, Nottinghamshire Police received 1,500 BlackBerry mobile data units enabling officers to connect to the police database on the beat and review existing intelligence before arriving at the scene. Once at the scene, new intelligence particular to the current incident can be entered right onto the mobile devices, saving data entry and administration time. Mobile access to information is especially beneficial in instances such as domestic violence, allowing attending officers to review prior case histories on the spot and enabling a speedier and more strategic response."

The Customer Service Desk is being introduced to provide the public with an improved customer focussed service. This means streamlining the entry of incident data to fit with the flow of police processes. ABM is central to this project, having provided interfaces to allow the Vision Command and Control system provided by Fortek to share information with the IMS crime system, and a crime input wizard which provides a simple and flexible interface guiding the user through the information entry process when taking details from a member of the public to record a crime. This is done as seamlessly as possible, so effectively that the Crime Desk user should be unaware of moving from one application to another as information is passed automatically between the systems. It also saves time by cutting out duplication of input.

Hansen continues, "Thanks to the integration with IMS and the Customer Service Wizard, incoming calls including crime reports are easily recorded and automatically transferred into the crime system, eliminating repetitive data collection and entry and allowing case information to be called up before officers actually arrive at the scene."

The upgrade has also enabled the Force to implement the integration between IMS Property and IMS Crime. IMS Property provides full continuity of evidence management from the scene of the crime through transfer between stores and disposal. The updated IMS Crime module will provide the Force with further flexibility for the recording, management and administration of crime, effectively managing the full crime lifecycle.

Alastair Luff, Managing Director of ABM UK Limited, added: "We are delighted to have updated Nottinghamshire Police with the latest version of the IMS system, enabling further enhancements and delivering improved efficiencies and performance for the Force. The updated platform now provides a solid base for the extension of services, including mobile input, and we are thrilleded to be working in partnership with Nottinghamshire to deliver further benefits to the Force and enabling them to provide an improved service to the public of Nottinghamshire."