From left: Chris Dawson, (WA Police), Minister Michelle Roberts and Malcolm DeSilva (Telstra)
Telstra has won an $8-million contract to supply Western Australian police officers with 4,000 iPhone 11s.
The telecommunications giant has deployed 60 devices this week and intends to deliver another 3,000 by Christmas.
According to a statement from WA Police Minister Michelle Roberts, the phones will primarily be used by frontline officers to perform identity checks, search the police database, capture evidence and report crimes.
Additionally, she claimed, the devices are fitted with a “duress function”, which provides the officer's location to the state command centre in the event an emergency.
More apps are said to be in development that will allow officers to take statements in the field and eventually write and post traffic infringements, however details on who would provide these was not specified.
"These devices will ensure our officers have fast access to information and intelligence in the field, and support them to do their jobs more effectively," Roberts said.
The contract is the latest in a number of technology investments into WA Police.
Earlier this year, WA Police awarded an $18 million contract to Axon Public Safety to deploy 4,200 body cameras to its frontline officers.
Last month, the Government also awarded NEC a contract to supply Cisco IP telephony service for WA Police.
Although originally announced by NEC as a $39-million deal, a recent contract update shows the value has since been upped to $89-million.
The Government claims it is investing more than $90-million in police technology, of which they counted digital mobility, body-worn cameras, automatic number plate recognition technology and upgraded digital infrastructure at police stations.
