(MENAFN Press) (EMAILWIRE.COM, February 23, 2013 ) Birmingham, U.K --
Apple has now penned a 159 million contract with the New Zealand Police. The deal comes after the authorities decided to try the iPhone maker over the BlackBerry, Google and Microsoft alternatives.
The New Zealand Police noted that the specifics of the deal cover 6,000 police officers who will be receiving the iPhones, as well as 3,900 officers will be given iPads. The force will spend nearly 4.3 million to fund the initiative that will take place of the next three months. The move is expected to cost as much as 159 million in total operating cost across the next decade.
The New Zealand authority stated that it chose Apple over competitors from other companies after a survey of the officers was taken. The officers noted the technology from Apple appeared to be the most useful in the course of duty.
"The trial showed the most useful tools for officers were small personal devices (such as a smartphone) for making phone calls or text messaging, accessing email, and accessing information and photo databases, and a larger such as a laptop or tablet for staff who need to do more data entry," said New Zealand Police Chief Information Officer Stephen Crombie.
"Based on frontline officer feedback from the trial (over 100 staff in four districts trailed smartphones, laptops and tablets over an 11-month period), the preferred devices are the iPhone as smartphone and iPad for the tablet. The approach used to develop the applications means Police can move to other devices with relative ease as technology changes."
Prime Minister John Key added, "Using mobile technology means officers will be able to check offenders' details (like photographs and bail conditions) where and when they need to, rather than having to drive to a station to access information or use the police radio. This means more time to focus on stopping crime and protecting communities, and less time each day on administration duties at their desks."
