Thames Valley Police Force has revolutionised their communication channels by issuing officers with Blackberry mobile phone devices. The fresh initiative is an attempt to keep as many officers out on the streets as possible instead of spending time returning to the station to perform administrative duties.

The Blackberry 8310 Curve phone will be given to 1,100 police officers. The cost of the scheme is to be funded by the Home Office and National Policing Improvement Agency. A spokesman for RIM confirmed that the police force has 143,000 officers and half of them currently have a Blackberry Mobile Phone.

The key to the devices being taken on by Thames Valley was the public security. Public Sector Sales Manager of RIM Graham Baker said: ‘Security is not an add-on. The data stored is encrypted and can be wiped remotely.’
Baker also highlighted that BlackBerry Smartphones are the only mobile devices to be accredited for use with up to ‘restricted’ level data by CESG, the UK government’s national security body.
The Blackberry device will be on the Orange network and will enable officers to access the following via the Police National Computer:

• Look up video witness and custody photographs
• The missing persons database
• The warrant database
• Court orders
• Bail information

Whilst the police offers phones are on Orange, the Blackberry 8310 Curve is also available on the O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone networks at ND Mobiles.