HCL Technologies (HCL), the global IT and engineering services provider, today announced that it has been selected as the provider of a mobile and remote working solution to Wiltshire Police. Valued at £2 million, the partnership will last for five and a half years, including an initial six month implementation period.

Policing in the UK faces huge challenges, as it tries to balance ever expanding demand with a period of tightening financial constraints. Liberating officers from their desks is a key strand in Wiltshire Police’s plans and HCL’s mobile and remote working solution is seen as central to this. It’s about enabling officers to do their work better and smarter, by cutting down unproductive time and giving them the information they need to combat crime and provide assistance to the public.

The first of HCL’s engagements with the UK public sector, this partnership is a milestone in HCL’s growing presence in the UK market. Rajeev Sawhney, President Europe, HCL Technologies, commented on the partnership, “This is a significant award for HCL and one that we are particularly proud of. It demonstrates our commitment to local markets and the UK public sector.”

Matt Bennion-Pedley, Wiltshire Police’s Director of Finance, said: “It was HCL’s business focus and collaborative approach that gave them the edge. We were looking for an innovative approach but also one that has to deliver results quickly, be easily scalable and adapt to continual changes in policing legislation and practice. It is still early days in the solution’s development but we believe we have found a real winner. This augurs well not just for us but also for UK policing in general.”

The solution will involve the creation of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) that is costeffective both to maintain and develop, and can be easily replicated in other Forces or associated agencies. The solution is network and device independent and hence is not limited by the operational policing solutions within any Force.