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| Avon & Somerset Constabulary will use Panasonic Toughbook rugged mobile computing solutions for a 3-month trial |
Panasonic Toughbook rugged mobile computing solutions will be used by Avon & Somerset Constabulary as part of a three month trial to prove the benefit of using electronic witness statements (EWS) over the current manual paper based process. The trial will use a mobile eForms application from HeliMedia called Form Patrol to deliver the EWS solution.
The trial is fully supported by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The results of the trial will form an integral part of a larger project working towards a fully electronic case file.
By using Form Patrol, police officers can take statements using the Toughbook rugged mobile computers and then capture signatures using the touch screen and stylus. This information is then securely and automatically transmitted for onward processing in near real time using the built in HSPDA modem.
The Form Patrol electronic witness statement will:
- Speed up the service for victims, the police and the courts
- Save frontline officers' time and back office resources
- Safeguard the integrity and authenticity of statements
- Significantly reducing the current manual paper processes
The EWS trial is scheduled to run for a three-month period beginning in May 2011. Inspector Kevin McCarthy, from the NPIA Digital Evidence Programme, commented: "The EWS pilot is intended to demonstrate radical improvements to the criminal justice process from the initial arrest phase, through custody and onto the eventual court appearance. The typed documents created and distributed electronically will be easier to read, and accessible instantly via a desktop computer or laptop. It is vital that the adopted system will ensure complete integrity of the statement, whilst improving data quality and streamlining the whole process. In particular, we expect to demonstrate the savings in the time and cost of managing the criminal justice back office process."
