A project to support the transfer of digital crime scene images between police forces is among 14 transformation schemes awarded £23m by the Home Office.
Home secretary Amber Rudd has announced the two year funding for 10 forces plus the College of Policing.
Created by the 2015 spending review, the police transformation fund is aimed at assisting police reform by introducing more efficient technology capabilities.
Rudd said: ”While 10 forces will lead on the work, we expect these pioneering projects will benefit all 43 police forces across England and Wales.”
The successful bids also include new technology to the child abuse image database, improve procurement and collaboration, and fund a network of co-ordinators, analysts and prevention officers for the child sexual abuse national action plan.
The cash is part of total funding for police transformation in 2016 to 2017 of £76.4m, according to the government.
The successful bids include:
- £700,000 for West Yorkshire Police to explore solutions to enable a crime scene image such as a fingerprint and footwear print to be digitally transmitted from the crime scene
- £4m for Norfolk Constabulary to recruit regional police national action plan co-ordinators and analysts to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation
- £1m for Norfolk to add further technology to the Child Abuse Image Database, including facial recognition software
- £6m for Nottinghamshire Police, in collaboration with Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, for a project to eliminate duplication between forces and ensure they to have access to a larger pool of information to help officers make faster and more informed decisions
- £1.5m for Hampshire Constabulary, in collaboration with Surrey, Sussex and Thames Valley, to improve information sharing between forces through a digital platform
