Motorola Solutions to equip Victoria Police with 10K iPhones, iPads in A$50M deal

In the A$50 million ($37.9 million) deal, Motorola Solutions leads a consortium of technology providers to equip the police with iOS devices for a minimum of 5 years, extendable to 11 years, reports The Australian. Motorola will handle the management architecture for the iOS devices, with telecommunications firm Optus providing network coverage, and CompNow supplying the iPhones and iPads themselves, as well as dealing with repairs.

It is believed the plan will help increase the situational awareness and safety for frontline officers, as well as helping the manage their daily work tasks, and minimizing instances of duplicate data being entered in reports. In important situations, vital information can be shared between frontline personnel and control rooms using the system.

As a byproduct, the scheme will also help Victoria Police offload some of the lower-priority traffic from its radio network, keeping it clearer for essential emergency communications.

Core to the platform is mPol, an application created by the Motorola Solutions-owned Gridstone to help police perform administrative duties, and to improve collaboration between team members. The app is already being used by Queensland Police, but it will be tailored to the needs of the Victoria Police before it is rolled out to officers.

Motorola Solutions vice president and managing director Steve Crutchfield claims the deal will "provide Victoria Police with a reliable mobility solution and services to enable frontline officers to access core operational applications from mobile devices. We will provide Victoria Police with a mobility managed service that is highly secure, reliable, and helps to free up more time for frontline police to work in their communities where they are needed most."

The $50 million deal is part of Victoria Police's Capability Plan 2016-2025, a scheme that aims to make the police more responsive with increased communication and connectedness between all involved. The contract is being funded by the Mobile Technology Project, an Andrews Labor Government initiative to invest A$227 million ($172 million) into police technology.