Microsoft Surface has helped Cheshire Police reduce paperwork and free up time
In recent years, Police Forces have seen ever increasing volumes of paperwork become part of their daily life; Cheshire Police serves over 1 million people in the North West of the UK and wanted to find a way to cut through the bureaucracy and get their Officers out of the office and back into the community as much as possible.
Having trialled different technology, the force selected the Surface as the best tool for their Officers. Enclosed in its rugged case, with a full keyboard, the Surface pen and powered by Windows 10 it’s proving to be invaluable in collecting on the spot statement from victims and witnesses. The pen is allowing both Officers and the public to draw pictures to support their statements, to affix digital signatures to online documents plus the Surfaces built-in camera is being used widely to collect evidence negating the need for a specialist crime scene team; all of this is saving valuable office time that Officers can now spend out in the community. Cheshire Police are delighted that implementing the Surface proved to be simple as Officers loved the familiarity of the device and the intuitive operating system; in fact, they voted it “a fantastic bit of kit!”
The Force is already feeling the benefits of securing additional time to be out in their area talking with the public with the ability to accelerate the statement and evidence process on the Surface. The rollout of the Surface has meant that Cheshire Police are even more confident that they can uphold their vision of being there for the public when it matters, where it matters.