SA Police get Mobile Data Equipment Update

ADELAIDE, SA, 3/11/2004

Brisbane-based mobile data specialist Technisyst is supplying South Australia Police patrol cars with updated technology, with in-car wireless computers that link back to base via mobile data networks.

Technisyst CEO Bill Delaney said the in-car PCs are dashboard-mounted touch screen units with small keyboards, and are connected to a central processing unit mounted in the rear of the vehicle.

Mr Delaney said the in-vehicle computers include GPS and mapping, and provide computing facilities that equal those used in an office environment.

Director of South Australia Police Information Systems and Technology, Mr Garry Dickie, said the new system provided enhanced access to information.

"The system increases the capability of patrols to promptly access information about any particular situation they may be dealing with." Mr Dickie said.

Mr Dickie said South Australia was the first police service in Australia to use the terminals to assist in the dispatch of jobs to patrol cars.

Mr Delaney said the equipment had been tested in trials, both in the lab and in the field, to ensure it could withstand the constant vibration and shock, extreme temperatures, dust and humidity of the in-car environment.

"These units have been purpose-built, and have been designed to ensure easier reading of the screen in bright sunlight or in the dark of night," Mr Delaney said.

Mr Delaney was a keynote speaker at this week's International Policing Conference in Adelaide, where he spoke on the future technologies for policing. The conference, titled "Safety and Security in a High Tech World" attracted more than 500 delegates.