Jamaican police force adopts technology platform in drive to combat crime

Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security has awarded a key contract to UK-based software supplier NEC Software Solutions to use the Connect platform to modernise the reporting, management and investigation of crime.

Adoption of the technology is a key element of the Jamaica Vision 2030 national plan which aims to create the conditions for a secure and prosperous future for the country.

NEC won the contract for its Connect policing software following a highly-competitive process conducted over an 18-month period involving suppliers from across the globe.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force is the largest police service in the Caribbean with 13,500 warranted officers, serving a population of almost three million people, and will become the second biggest force after the Metropolitan Police to use Connect.

The pioneering software platform is already used by around half of all police officers in England and NEC Software Solutions is now using its ownership by NEC Corporation and global footprint to deploy similar benefits internationally. Connect supports police to act rapidly and effectively, by providing instant access to accurate, logical and consistent information. This helps officers to assess threat, harm and risk in real time, reducing manual work and quickly directing resources to where they are needed most.

Jamaica Constabulary Force’s use of Connect will focus on the platform’s Record Management System and Proactive Management Planning functions, to support the service’s key objective to improve conviction rates and drive down serious and violent crime.

Implementation of Connect is part of the organisation’s significant and ongoing investment in technology and will enable a move away from manual records. It will deliver a host of benefits, including valuable data and analysis on crime trends to enable the effective targeting of police resources.

Paul Jackson, Head of Police and Justice at NEC, who is leading the drive into international markets for Connect, said: “Connect will provide the Jamaica Constabulary Force with a future-proofed platform to drive forward modernisation and address the policing challenges of today and tomorrow.

“It will accelerate the move away from manual record-keeping and support delivery of the force’s key strategic objectives, especially driving down violent crime and increasing conviction rates for the most serious offences.

“From a public perspective, Connect’s robust security features will help to build confidence and trust, while its reporting capabilities will provide enhanced support for victims and witnesses, including through regular updates on the progress of criminal investigations.

“This is a landmark for NEC and one of our flagship technologies, as it is another contract for Connect outside the UK.

“It provides us with an exciting opportunity to grow Connect internationally, particularly across the Caribbean with historical links with the UK and operate similar policing models.”

The Connect customer base ranges from the Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police, the biggest and second largest respectively in England and Wales, as well as smaller law enforcement agencies such as the Isle of Man Constabulary.

Ian Kirk, Director of Connect at NEC, said: “Supplying the police in Jamaica with the technology to support their strategic and operational objectives also means we have an increasingly effective model to deploy Connect internationally and a platform to grow in the rest of the Caribbean and internationally.

“No matter where you are in the world, there are many common policing challenges. Connect is a key technology platform to meet those challenges and a resource that can be tailored to every force’s needs, as illustrated by the diversity of police services using it and now by the Jamaican police coming on board.”

Find out more about our police records management system.