Of all the organizations that benefit from Microsoft’s revolutionary advancements in technology, not many people would have put law enforcement at the top of the list. It seems, however, that police officers tend to be getting quite a bit of use from Microsoft’s services and products. The Northumbria police department in the UK has begun utilizing Windows Phones in order to keep things running smoothly for them, and they seem to be getting a great deal of use out of them.
These Windows phones, dubbed “phablets” by the Northumbria police department, were rolled out in order to ensure that the Northumbria officers are going to be able to spend less time tied to their offices, and more time out engaging with their community. The department invested in 3,652 phones and have even had an app developed that’s specifically tailored to their needs, making sure that they’re going to be able to do everything necessary to do their jobs with as few roadblocks as possible.
The app, called the Police e-Box, “will enable them to record incidents at the scene and carry out vehicle checks without having to call the communications centre.” On top of being able to expedite processes like vehicle checks, the Northumbria police’s Windows phones can call them to action much faster than was possible before. Using their new “phablets,” officers can receive images of missing or wanted persons immediately as those images become available, so they can begin searching while they’re out patrolling their community.
Seeing that Windows phones are being made the primary choice of any organization is great to see – in a market that is still dominated by Apple and Android operating systems, it can be easy to think that the world has all but forgotten about Windows phone. Here’s hoping that the Northumbria police department continues to use technology to improve the way they protect and serve and that other police departments will follow in their footsteps.
