BT is predicting more Bobbies on the street with its service that enables police equipped with PDAs to check national databases and electoral rolls while on the beat.

The BT Police Data Mobility Solution was demonstrated at the ACPO-APA Exhibition, and is already in use by the Met and by police in Merseyside and Sussex. The service will now work on several different networks.

Police can make queries to the Police National Computer, the Electoral roll, their own criminal databases, and any other resources available to them. It also enables officers to log reports without returning to the station.

It will work with almost any PDA and uses either GPRS or BT's Mobitex network.

Last year, police in London used the system to make 4m checks on the Police National Computer - a third higher than the year before. The Met's dispatch team also use it to keep track of the force's 1,500 vehicles, making response to incidents faster and more efficient.

Police services also get a single contract with BT, thereby minimising the hassle associated with maintaining equipment and dealing with several third parties.

Which is nice. ®