26th March 2009, Aylesbury: ESRI (UK), the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) solutions, has won a £1.35m contract to supply the latest GIS technology to all Scottish police forces.

The Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA), which provides expert support services to the country's eight police forces and criminal justice community, will deploy the ESRI (UK) software, services and training to forces and associated agencies. The system will allow a more consistent, accurate and efficient approach to managing and responding to incidents at all levels across the country.

All forces currently use GIS technology, but the ESRI software roll-out will mark the first time all forces in Scotland will share a national system across the country. The software will be linked to centralised incident data, providing the Scottish police community with a single source of accurate and up to date information, which will help improve overall understanding of crime patterns while enhancing intelligence exchange between forces.

For improved response, emergency calls from all parts of Scotland will be geographically coded and linked to the GIS system, which will plot calls by postcode. This will allow call handlers – the software can manage up to 600 calls at any one time - to deploy police from the nearest location, enhancing response times and ensuring the most efficient use of resources.

To increase policing effectiveness, crime analysts within every force will use the new software to identify patterns and trends in different types of crime, resulting in more effective decision making and resource planning at both a local and national level.

Robert Kirkwood, Chief Information Officer, SPSA said: "ESRI (UK)’s GIS technology will help us achieve our goal of facilitating a national, joined-up approach to geographic information management and analysis across all eight Scottish police forces and associated law enforcement agencies.

“The software will act as a hub for linking a number of key information sources that will allow Scottish police forces to work more effectively and efficiently. We are confident that the roll-out of this converged national GIS solution will be successful and ultimately help Scotland’s police service provide a more direct response to tackling and preventing crime."

Richard Waite, Managing Director, ESRI (UK) said: “We are delighted to provide Scotland’s police forces with visionary GIS technology that will help the forces work more efficiently, in turn giving their citizens the benefits of a more streamlined service based on geographic intelligence.”

As part of the contract, ESRI (UK) will provide the SPSA with access to its range of ArcGIS GIS software, including its CrimeAnalyst and ArcGIS Server software, replacing all command and control and analyst applications currently provided by other GIS providers.

Implementation is currently underway, with the new system expected to be in place by November 2009 and available to analysts by the end of the year.

About ESRI (UK)

ESRI (UK) is part of the global ESRI network. With the single, largest pool of GIS expertise in the UK, the company is the technical authority on GIS. ESRI (UK) provides solutions, technology and services including off the shelf applications built on the ArcGIS software suite and an extensive range of consulting and training services.

Its offerings meet a range of business needs in different markets including Business, Local & Central Government, Defence, Public Safety, Utilities and Telecommunications, as well as catering for system integrators and application developers through the ESRI Developer Network.

ESRI (UK)’s customers include both public sector clients such as Leeds City Council, Metropolitan Police, DCLG, The Environment Agency and businesses including Thames Water, RSA Group and The AA.

ESRI (UK) helps businesses become more profitable and public service more efficient through the better use of geographic information. The ability to understand customers' needs and harness the power of GIS for the long-term benefit of organisations is what we call Visionary Thinking.

ESRI (UK) has previously delivered successful services to the Home Office, Strathclyde Police, the MOD Police Service alongside other government intelligence agencies.

About the Scottish Police Services Authority
The Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) provides expert support services to the country's eight police forces and criminal justice community.

In partnership with the police, it plays an important role in the effectiveness of modern law enforcement by providing criminal records, forensic services, specialist ICT, and training - including the Scottish Police College. It also maintains the specialist officers and staff for the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA).

Launched on 1 April 2007 as a non-departmental public body, SPSA has an independent Convener and a Board comprising representatives of Scotland's police forces, police boards as well as independent members.  Committed to delivering world class support, SPSA is responsible for more than 1,600 expert staff throughout Scotland.