ENG-1998 — Page 360

PUBLIC ORDER

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Transport

The force has 1600 four-wheeled vehicles and 800 motorcycles. Along with operational performance, the force management takes safety aspects of police vehicles seriously. One safety technology being investigated is a directional siren which will enable road users to identify the direction of a sound source, and then take appropriate action. This will shorten the time spent on emergency journeys and enhance safety for other road users. A system to provide a short, run-flat capability to prevent a deflated tyre causing loss of control of a vehicle is also being studied.

Police lorries have been replaced by a new, more comfortable type of vehicle with extra safety features. A better designed and equipped Force Mobile Command Vehicle, which can improve field command capability for major incidents, is in operation.

Information Technology

The current Force Information Systems Strategy will be fully implemented by mid- 1999. A consultancy review has commenced and is expected to be completed in April 1999. The thrust of the review is to allow front-line police officers greater online access to the force's information systems, thereby enhancing efficiency of operations. To enhance support to the computer systems used in different police formations, a centralised Systems Management System was implemented in August. It automates the operational management and performance monitoring of more than 140 application servers and 2 000 common terminals in the force.

The Regional Information Communal System was completed and rolled out in June for all six Police Regions and 19 Headquarters formations. It enables complete automation in handling reports to police, eliminates repetitive paper work and produces timely management information for operational planning.

Development of the Traffic Operations Management System to handle traffic accident reports and investigation and detained vehicles has been completed. System roll-out to traffic formations will be finished by January 1999. The system can improve operational efficiency by giving Police Officers direct access to the vehicle registration and driving licence database.

The Accounting and Financial Management System, Duty Scheduler, and Central Licensing and Registration System II also went live in 1998. These systems greatly improved timeliness and accuracy in expenditure control, human resource management and the processing of all licences issued by or on the advice of the force.

A rectification programme for the Year 2000 problem started in April and will be completed by June 1999. At December 31, a total of 76 information systems were in operation with 18 new systems under development or implementation.

Service Quality

After an internal force-wide consultation in 1997 on Force Values, the Service Quality Wing used a similar consultative approach to find out ways to progressively address issues raised as barriers to change.

During the year, the force carried out a Customer Service Improvement Project to enhance the quality of service provided to the public through various police station improvement works and improved service delivery processes. The force also

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