Police to be more efficient thanks to technology investment - The Stratford Observer

Police to be more efficient thanks to technology investment

Stratford Editorial 13th Sep, 2016 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

PEOPLE can soon expect a more efficient response from Warwickshire Police.

The force and neighbouring West Mercia has made a joint £5.5million investment in state-of-the-art technology – which police chiefs say will deliver a better service by enabling the respective forces to do their jobs more effectively.

The new systems will see the Operations Communications Centre (OCC) – at Warwick Technology Park and another site at West Mercia Police’s Hindlip headquarters – handle all emergency and non-emergency calls to both forces.

It will enable call handlers to take more information from the people at the first point of contact which can then be passed on to officers being deployed, giving them more details about incidents before arriving at the scene.




Officers on the street will also have more information at their fingertips, allowing them to spend more time with victims and witnesses. It is also set to improve the way resources are deployed.

And it will open up the possibility for new ways in which people can interact with the police, including more online or social media channels. The opportunity for people to track the progress of cases online should also reduce demand on police resources.


Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said: “People in Warwickshire quite rightly have the expectation that when they contact the police they will be dealt with efficiently and effectively, with the most appropriate police resources used to meet their call for assistance.

“State-of-the-art technology will ensure better co-ordination of resources and an improved level of service for the public.”

Asst Ch Con Amanda Blakeman, responsible for local policing in Warwickshire, welcomed the arrival of the new technology, which is set to be fully operational by 2018.

She said: “Investing in this new command and control system is an exciting move towards us achieving our vision for a completely modernised police force.

“This technology will bring major improvements to our ability to respond to incidents, giving faster access to all the existing information on our systems when a call comes in. It will also give officers on the street access to more information at their fingertips allowing them to make the better decisions on the ground.”

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