Member Article

Cloud Platform Delivers Peace of Mind for Law Enforcement

British cloud hosting firm UKFast Group Ltd and software provider JML Software Solutions Ltd are teaming up to deliver a cloud-based software as a service platform for Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary, helping both forces to deploy resources more safely and efficiently.

JML’s Chronicle software protects police officers by providing real-time asset management, tracking and monitoring to ensure police resources are safely and appropriately dispatched during incidents and that officers have sufficient training and equipment to deal with situations as they arise.

All 43 Home Office Police Forces and five National Law Enforcement agencies use the Chronicle system. Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary are the first to deliver the critical crime fighting solution through a cloud platform, reducing the IT burden and increasing communication capabilities between forces by virtue of being hosted on a single integrated system.

UKFast is providing the private cloud platform from its government-approved, UK-based data centres, which are connected to the Public Services Network (PSN).

The three-year contract sees JML and UKFast working together to deliver considerable cost efficiencies for the police force, enabling greater resources to be directed to front-line policing.

JML’s Managing Director Russell Osborne said: “Historically, police forces have been wary of cloud hosting, but the access we can offer through UKFast’s secure UK sites means this is now a better alternative than hosting locally. It’s the way government and the College of Policing want things to go, with a more efficient, joined up and integrated approach.”

Inspector Chris Young (Chief Firearms Instructor for JOU) said: “Chronicle is a critical resource for us because we have been able to centralise the storage of all of our training and operational records in one place.

“The ability to access this information across the footprint of both Hampshire Constabulary (Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) and Thames Valley Police (Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire) makes meeting our day-to-day working requirements and deployments much easier.

“We have the ability to review incidents and deploy resources wherever they are needed to help with the changing and diverse requirements of our operations.”

“Having a cloud-based solution with remote access enables us to now monitor our training provision to individuals and teams within our Joint Operational Units. This ensures consistency in the training, delivery and content of each lesson.

UKFast’s Head of Public Sector Stephen Jewell said: “Delivering Chronicle to the police from a secure cloud infrastructure enables JML to centrally manage the application software and focus on the delivery of their services, whilst UKFast provide the assured infrastructure and connectivity.

“No longer requiring on-premise hardware or manually installed software updates, the cloud-based service offers greater resilience, security and value for money to the police. We are seeing a significant change in the adoption of cloud in the justice sector, as confidence and understanding increases in the compliance and security offered by our private cloud solutions.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tim Parker .