THE rollout of £12 million of mobile devices will put more police officers on the streets, according to Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf.
The move was announced yesterday at Glasgow’s city centre police division HQ.
Officers across Scotland will be equipped with smartphone-like devices to replace their notebooks. The technology will allow officers to access police databases and incident reports on the move and upload statements directly into police systems.
Yousaf said: “What the outcome is, is police officers will be spending more time in the community as opposed to spending time in police stations having to type up incidents, having to type up statements and being behind a desk.”
The Justice Secretary said the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland approached him early in his term in Cabinet asking for capital investment in the force for the rollout.
He said: “Myself and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance had that discussion and I’m pleased we were able to provide £12m for the rollout.”
Yousaf hopes the potential for more officers on the streets will help reduce crime numbers across Scotland.
He said: “I would hope that it would certainly play a part in that but there will be a whole range of factors.
“Hopefully that will mean safer communities for all.”
Chief Inspector Martin Gallagher, who is the deputy lead for mobile working in Police Scotland, said he hopes to see an improvement in community relations as officers spend more time on the streets.
He said: “Officers will be able to engage with people more because they will have time to do that.”
The devices will have a biometric fingerprint scanner, which can only be accessed by the officer to whom it is assigned, as well as the ability to “kill” the device remotely if it is lost or stolen.
Officers in Glasgow have been on the beat with the devices in the past week, with a phased introduction taking place in the coming weeks.
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