Blackberry buttons ‘too small for police’ - so Yorkshire force is replacing them all

A POLICE force that has handed out more than 3,000 BlackBerry smartphones to its officers to help them work more efficiently is to replace the devices because they are “out of date”.
Police Blackberry phones are 'out of date'Police Blackberry phones are 'out of date'
Police Blackberry phones are 'out of date'

A POLICE force that has handed out more than 3,000 BlackBerry smartphones to its officers to help them work more efficiently is to replace the devices because they are “out of date”.

South Yorkshire Police has been giving out the phones to frontline staff since 2009 to help them access data, take pictures of potential criminals, and log details of cases more quickly.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

More than £1m has been spent on the new phones, as well as at least £280,000 in contract payments and £800,000 on staff involved in the project. The force now looks set to replace the phones after officers complained they were “impractical” to use, claiming the buttons were too small and that they had to enter long passwords to protect their data.

South Yorkshire, which was given funding from the Home Office for the scheme, is now putting together a new strategy where officers will be given a choice of different devices. Funding for the new approach has yet to be decided.

In West Yorkshire, police are cutting the number of BlackBerry phones being given to officers after research showed “a substantial number” were not being used.

The force, which also handed out phones to many officers, hopes to save money by giving out fewer mobile devices and handing over existing phones only to officers “who can get the best operational use out of them”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

One possibility is the use of mobile devices that stay in police vehicles so they can be used by a number of officers each day.

South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner Shaun Wright said the idea of officers using mobile devices had been a success. But he said it was likely the existing BlackBerry devices would be replaced as more up-to- date phones are handed out in a “refresh” of technology.

He said: “The BlackBerrys are getting a bit out of date, the technology has moved on significantly. There are a range of issues raised by officers.

“You have to put in quite a lengthy password to protect data. Some officers have issues with the buttons being too small. The principle of using IT to police is there and will continue in future. The precise device used to do that will change over time.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The decision to give all officers BlackBerrys was described in 2010 as “a major move forward” that would give the force “a significant advantage when fighting crime and dealing with offenders”.

Neil Bowles of South Yorkshire’s Police Federation said the technology used for mobile phones “became obsolete quickly”.

He said: “It is so impractical to use it to check out a car-load of youths at night when you are trying to keep an eye on what’s happening for your own safety.”

A pilot scheme is to be launched to test new ways for police to process information on their devices, though some phones are still tied in with existing contracts and others have already been replaced with more advanced models.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Information systems programme manager Jackie Bland said: “As technology continues to develop, it is appropriate to review and revise how mobile information is delivered, so building upon the experiences of our officers.”