25/Nov/2005
SMARTNAV SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM IN PILOT TO REDUCE POLICE RESPONSE TIMES


For immediate release 25th November 2005



SMARTNAV SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM IN PILOT TO REDUCE POLICE RESPONSE TIMES


In a first ever initiative, Hampshire Constabulary is carrying out a pilot utilising Smartnav, a satellite navigation system by Trafficmaster, to help reduce police response times and improve public service.

Hampshire Constabulary operates 950 vehicles, which together travel over 15 million miles a year covering Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Working within a large area it is impossible for every police officer to know where they are going each time they are called out.


Smartnav will be tested over a six month period and will initially be fitted into six specialist vehicles including those used by the dog section, armed response and force support units. In a demanding environment, Smartnav will be measured on its accuracy and responsiveness to ensure that vehicles get to the right destination at the right time.


Smartnav is able to offer an unrivalled personal service that matches the police forces requirements. One press of the Smartnav button or Touchscreen connects the police officer to an operator in the Smartnav Control Room. The officer will provide details of the address - be that a postcode or road name and town and the operator logs it into a central computer. The computer calculates the best route, taking into account Trafficmaster's real time traffic to guide the vehicle around traffic delays, and within seconds downloads the route to the vehicle.


Smartnav's operator service eliminates the need to key in addresses or check maps, which is an aid to safety as the officer can make progress whilst the information is being downloaded. It is hoped it will reduce the number of calls into the Force's Control Room, whereby the police officer has to check if the address is correct. In all the Smartnav service means that the police officer can take to the road quickly and safely and should reach the destination in better time, thus enhancing the Hampshire Constabulary's response times.


John Bradley, Fleet Manager at Hampshire Police comments:
"This is an exciting proposition and it should significantly aid police officers in Hampshire who may be working within unfamiliar territories. Smartnav fits in with our Health & Safety and Duty of Care policy, as it sends a route to the vehicle quickly with little distraction to the driver. I predict that with this better routing Smartnav will lower the chances of officers of getting lost and will thereby reduce the number of miles travelled by each vehicle. This will consequently bring down a number costs, including police time, fuel and unnecessary mileage."


The evaluation of Smartnav will include measuring the benefits that the system will bring to frontline operations as well as the impact it may have on operational costs. In addition to this, the project has been set up as a two way process, enabling the Smartnav team to receive feedback and enhance its service further.


Gary Kirby, National Sales Manager, at Trafficmaster, says:
"Hampshire Constabulary is the first police force to evaluate the Smartnav satellite navigation as part of its continuous service improvement strategy. We are working alongside MaxTech, who are a specialist Police approved installer, to ensure that Smartnav fits the needs of a police force. The initial response to Smartnav has been encouraging and we look forward developing this programme further within the emergency services sector."


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goto TFC website for the news, its not been announced to the market

and another