Tasmania Police replaces in-car data terminals with tablets

Tasmania Police has successfully rolled out the largest deployment of Windows 8 tablets in Australia, replacing 200 in-car mobile data terminals and a fleet of 1100 desktop computers.

The imperative for Tasmania Police was to increase the number of hours per shift its officers spent in the field. It was also important to use its overtime budget on core policing activities rather than completing deskbound administrative tasks.

Jason Hutcheon, Acting Inspector of the Business Improvement Unit at the Tasmanian Department of Police & Emergency Management, said: “We needed a single device that would be suitable for all officers, in all situations. They needed efficient, online access to all administrative and reporting functions whether they were in the station or in the field.”

Tasmania Police’s mobility requirements stipulated a robust, 3G-enabled device with proven long battery life - it had to operate through a 10-hour shift without recharging.

A keyboard docking facility was essential. Officers carry out a significant amount of administration work and do many hours of typing each week. They needed access to ergonomic, full-sized keyboards at the station.

From a thorough analysis of available devices, Tasmania Police selected the Acer Iconia W511.

The agency first undertook a phased, 6-month rollout from a pilot at its Training Academy to all 1- to 2-man stations and then to the completed fleet of 1044 devices allocated to all 73 stations in the state.

“During the six-week pilot, from the 37 tablets issued, we estimated 280 hours cut from administration. That efficiency equates to 37 working days plus 43 hours in overtime. In dollar terms we saved $2600 from the pilot alone,” Hutcheon confirmed.

Officers now have secure access to all police systems, allowing them to quickly pull up driving licence details and make a field ID.

Statements from witnesses and victims of crime, as well as accident and crime reports, were previously written by hand at the scene and then transcribed at the station. Now, they are largely completed in the field.

Hutcheon explains the benefits: “This is not only avoiding duplication of effort but keeping more officers out in the community for more of each shift, rather than returning to the station to do unproductive paperwork.

“With the devices in hand, there is less wasted time. Officers can file reports while they wait for, say, a tow truck to arrive at an accident scene. And the device’s touch screen is proving its worth in capturing electronic signatures so that witnesses and victims no longer have to go to a police station to sign typed up statements.”