Police GIS aims to boost officer safety

A five year contract between Wiltshire police and Cadcorp to provide a GIS and web location-based information will help provide officers with the support they need in difficult situations, according to the force. The deal will deliver live location data to the Wiltshire police command and control centre by, for example, displaying the location of 999 calls. The equipment will also enable the tracking of police personnel and vehicles through an automatic resource location system. John Flynn, the programme manager in the portfolio management office at Wiltshire police, told GGC: "The one message that we do want to convey, is that we will use this to significantly improve officer safety." He said that the main officer safety enhancement is the coupling of the GIS with an automatic resource location system, so the force can see where its officers are and, should they need assistance, control room staff will be able to find and send the nearest available back up. The system is also expected to improve crime and intelligence analysis. "By using data from other systems and the crime intelligence system, we will be able to plot where crime hot spots are and manage the deployment of officers in a proactive rather than reactive way," said Flynn. Although the system has been purchased for use within the Wiltshire force, it will enable the sharing of data with other public agencies such as local authorities and other police forces. The new system replaces a much slower analogue system, according to Flynn. He declined to reveal the value of the deal with Cadcorp. In the same week, Transport for London advertised for a framework agreement for GIS applications. The capital's public transport authority says that the deal, which it estimates will be worth £6m, will be open to other public organisations, including London's police, fire and development authorities. This article is published by Guardian Professional. For updates on public sector IT, join the Government Computing Network here.