toolkit - case studies
The Metropolitan Police Service: Operation Bullseye
Background
The Metropolitan Police Service is the largest of the police forces that operate in Greater London. It employs around 27 000 officers, 10 800 civil staff and 844 traffic wardens, covering an area of 1 587.2 kilometeres and a population of 7.2 million. Since July 2000 the Metropolitan Police Service has been accountable to the Metropolitan Police Authority.
The problem
Any crime from a robbery to a hostage situation occurs in a geographical area. Communicating crime information to the community quickly can be difficult and labour-intensive, given the limited options for effective two-way communication between the police and public. Traditional methods of communication - press and media, public meetings and mailshots - are not always immediate enough. Some police forces have used automated call systems, but the technology can be slow and relies on targeting individuals from a database.
The challenge for the Metropolitan Police Service
To produce an automated geographical information-based system to provide fast-time, targeted messaging in a variety of formats including voice, email, phone and SMS, enabling the rapid supply of information to the people who are most likely to be affected by a certain type of crime or incident.
The system needed to:
- enable precise geographical selection;
- allow selection and targeting of community groups;
- deliver the correct information to the right people; and
- ensure the information reached them in the right location and on time.
The solution
Islington Borough Police and BT plc have worked together to launch Operation Bullseye, an information system underpinned by digital mapping data. Residents sign up to the scheme free of charge and choose a convenient time of day to receive messages by phone, fax or email. When an incident occurs, police can immediately pass the details on to subscribers in the area.
The benefits
Digital mapping data can bring benefits to business and services through improving planning and strategy, simplifying operations and logistics and enhancing communication and understanding.
The benefits experienced by the Metropolitan Police Service include:
- a more effective use of police time – appealing for witnesses, providing crime prevention advice and keeping the public informed of what is happening in their neighbourhood can be done through just one automated system;
- the ability to make numerous calls simultaneously to inform the public as quickly as possible. In the pilot up to 1 800 premises were contacted within an hour of the problem being identified;
- an increase in door-to-door policing, strengthening links with the community; and
- the ability for officers to communicate information in a form and at a time convenient to the public
“Bullseye is an exciting innovative system that has enormous potential in raising the awareness of the community and helping to name Islington a safer place for all. The system has ben designed to meet the needs of policing and through combining different technology we are able to target valuable information to the public for them to take effective preventative action.”
Graham Ferguson, Bullseye Project Manager for the Metropolitan Police
Long-term impact
The growth in communication technology provides the opportunity to send and receive information promoting crime reduction and public awareness. It can boost vigilance as well as prompting potential witnesses to come forward with information.
Islington Borough Police is gradually signing up subscribers to a pilot scheme across the borough.
Digital mapping data is used by a number of police authorities and emergency service across the country to tackle crime, allocate resources effectively and monitor crime trends including:
- Dumfries and Galloway;
- Hampshire Police;
- Warwickshire Police;
- West Yorkshire Police, and
- South Wales Police.
<<< BACK
