Tasmanian police have been equipped with Acer Windows 8 tablets, with Acer announcing the rollout of the largest deployment of Windows 8 tablets in Australia, replacing a fleet of 1,100 desktop computers and 200 in-car mobile data terminals.The Acer Iconia W511 was deployed throughout the state as part of a phased, six-month rollout from a training academy pilot, to all one-two man stations, and then to the completed fleet of 1,044 devices, allocated to all 73 stations in the state.
A 3G-enabled device with proven long battery life, capable of operating through a 10-hour shift without recharging, along with a keyboard docking facility, allowing officers to carry out administrative duties, was required, Acer advised.
“During the six-week pilot, from the 37 tablets issued, we estimated 280 hours cut from administration,” Jason Hutcheon, acting inspector of the business improvement unit at the Tasmanian Department of Police & Emergency Management, stated.
“That efficiency equates to 37 working days plus 43 hours in overtime. In dollar terms we saved $2,600 from the pilot alone.”
Hutcheon stated the productivity benefits are “keeping more officers out in the community for more of each shift, rather than returning to the station to do unproductive paperwork”.
“With the devices in hand, there is less wasted time,” he commented. “Officers can file reports while they wait for, say, a tow truck to arrive at an accident scene.
“And the Iconia’s touchscreen is proving its worth in capturing electronic signatures, so that witnesses and victims no longer have to go to a police station to sign typed-up statements.”
