Motorola Solutions biometric tech deployed by Surrey and Sussex Police

Surrey and Sussex Police forces in the UK are using Motorola Solutions’ Pronto to access Interpol’s international criminal biometrics database via remote devices.

The deployment will reportedly provide 4,500 police officers across both forces with instant and secure access to millions of international records including warrants, details of stolen property, and threats related to weapons.

The Pronto solution includes biometric software for fingerprint collection in the field with a mobile device and a peripheral scanner. Integrated Biometrics provides these kinds of devices to police in a dozen different UK jurisdictions. IB has even produced a video on the use of Pronto with its Columbo biometric scanners.

“It takes an average of 1.2 seconds to run a query through the Interpol database using our mobile device,” explains Sussex Police Detective Chief Superintendent Steven Boniface.

“Officers can run a search from any location at any time, leveraging Interpol’s vital source of intelligence to increase safety for themselves and the British public.”

This is not the first time Motorola Solutions has partnered with English police forces, with Pronto being a part of the digitalization efforts of the Surrey Police force since 2009.

“With access to Interpol, our officers no longer need to call a colleague or return to a police station to run a search, saving minutes in everyday operations and emergency situations,” says Surrey Police Mobile Development Manager, Amber Kingshott.

The partnership comes at a moment of increased reliance by British police forces on the Interpol database, following the UK’s departure from the European Union, which severed UK police access to the Schengen Information System.

“Police officers need rapid access to relevant, up-to-date global data in order to assess potential threats and keep themselves and the public safe,” said Fergus Mayne, country manager of UK & Ireland at Motorola Solutions.

“Developed locally in the UK, Pronto is built for the specific needs of UK police and has successfully supported hundreds of communities, as well as freeing officer time to focus on citizens and their public safety.”

Article Topics

biometric database  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  Interpol  |  mobile device  |  Motorola  |  police  |  UK