Here is a story form Scotland about a lost police notebook. It is one we can all learn from. It tells of how a police officer left a bag containing a notebook and other documents in a house. He had been carrying out a search of the house. Two people were later convicted of stealing some of the bag’s contents. Everyone makes mistakes. We are all forgetful at times. And should we really be surprised that on finding something like this, some people are going to post the contents on the internet. Or share the information with criminal associates.
Unfortunately, the loss of police notebooks is a too regular occurrence. With hundreds of thousands of officers out there everyday, things will get lost. I am quite sure any officer will feels stupid if it happens to them. And in some cases there may be an element of negligence, on the apart of the officer. But we all know people are human and err. We all know the risks even if some choose to turn a blind eye to them. Loosing a notebook could cost someone their life.
Such incidents raise the question as to the responsibility of police managers. Heads of Information Technology should be pushing to replace hand-written notebooks. Ultimately, it falls to the Police Chief. There are much more secure ways of storing data than in a hand-written notebook. And just as policing advanced from using the whistle to raise an alert to the radio, policing needs to advance from using pocket books to smart technology. Pocket books should be a thing of the past. Confined to police museums with journals and desk diaries.
Electronic pocketbooks are more secure. If lost, nothing can be obtained from them. Cloud technology means nothing is stored on the device. Money is saved on everyday storage of paper notebooks, and in retrieval costs when they have to be consulted. Some electronic solutions have added features such as the geo-coding of all entries. They are full searchable from a centralized location . Some can upload photos and hand-written entries. Some can then share them automatically with other systems making for greater connectivity. Some come as an app that can be installed on either existing IPhones or Androids. VERINOTE provides such a solution.
At HSM training we are always on the look out for smart technology that helps officers perform their role more easily and more safely. If you want to know more about the Verinote product get in touch with us info@hsmtraining.com We will let you know our thoughts on it and on electronic notebooks in general.
Alternatively, email the company direct on hello@verisaas.com We will be happy to talk you through the advantages and costs.
