Police officers across Western Australia will soon have access to new technology in their cars to give them better and faster access to crucial police information, which will save time when they respond to emergencies.
In a world first initiative, the WA Police Force is partnering with Apple and Motorola Solutions to give officers access to police data and intelligence through CarPlay.
As part of the WA Police Force's digital transformation, the McGowan Government has invested more than $34 million to roll out personal issue mobile smartphones to every operational police officer.
Now, thanks to a collaboration with Apple and Motorola Solutions, those mobile devices will link in with CarPlay, allowing drivers to use voice commands to manage their response to incidents.
Officers responding to calls in the community will be able to arrive at the scene of an incident faster, and with greater situational awareness about the incident as it is unfolding. This will save time and mean officers are better prepared for what they are confronted with.
Since taking office, the McGowan Government has invested more than $90 million in police technology including body-worn cameras, drones, personal issue mobile devices and automatic number plate recognition technology (ANPR).
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"It is important our police are equipped with the latest technology and this initiative will significantly support frontline operations.
"It will mean faster access to accurate information and intelligence while officers are on their way to an emergency.
"Our police will be armed with critical operational information and have better situational awareness as they arrive at an incident.
As stated by Police Minister Paul Papalia:
"This is a major boost to policing and will ensure our police have the latest and most up to date information to rapidly respond to incidents in the community.
"It's all part of the McGowan Government's digital transformation of the WA Police Force and just one of our initiatives to ensure our police can do their jobs better and keep us safe.
"I congratulate the technology giants for working with WA Police on this terrific partnership.
"The McGowan Government is committed to ensuring our police are properly resourced with the latest technology for a modern police force."
