West Yorkshire police have rolled out BlackBerry handhelds across the force as part of a new initiative called StreetWYSE.
StreetWYSE is a mobile version of the Force's main computerised intelligence system known as West Yorkshire Search Engine (WYSE). The system has 2,500 BlackBerrys in operation ? 2,300 of those with frontline officers.
WYSE contains everything the Force knows about individuals, in addition to the comprehensive information stored on the Police National Computer.
Paul Friday, Director of the Force's Information Systems, said: ?In September 2005, we conducted an internal survey to find out what else officers would like from their BlackBerry to aid them in their job. Responses from the survey revealed that officers wanted the BlackBerry to provide them with further intelligence to support street encounters.?
Suspects often give out false details to avoid detection when stopped, using the new system an officer can download a digital ?mugshot? of the person in question, it will also display any outstanding warrants. This has already led to several arrests
Besides being able to access images, StreetWYSE on BlackBerry gives officers the ability to discreetly and silently use the device ? instead of their radio – to check other vital information on an individual they have stopped, such as whether they are known to carry weapons or be violent to police officers.
The introduction of the devices has saved the Force an estimated œ8.8million, based on the time saved by officers being able to access computer systems while on the streets ? an average of 145 hours per frontline officer per year. Training on StreetWYSE takes just a few minutes.
Future developments of the Force's use of BlackBerry could see officers on the ground being able to link into traffic cameras and be notified of the approach of a stolen vehicle.
We have been unable to confirm if officers will be able to play solitaire or access our very own BlackBerry site (http://blackberry.itvibe.com)