PDMS shortlisted for ScotlandIS DigiTech Awards 2015

PDMS, alongside our partner the Police National Legal Database (PNLD), has been shortlisted in the ScotlandIS Digital Technology Awards 2015. 

We were a finalist in the Best in Public Sector Service/Product category with the PNLD on our Ask the Scottish Police project, amidst a record number of entries.

We have been working as a technology partner to PNLD for over ten years, delivering a range of innovative new online services which benefit criminal justice agencies and wider communities.  Through this partnership, we developed the Ask the Police Scotland website and app (available for use on both iOS and Android), which helps the public get instant answers to over 750 most frequently asked questions, covering a wide range of police related issues. 

The website and app provide up to date and legally correct information, offering both the residents of Scotland and visitors alike a quick, easy and accurate way to find out the information they need - whether at home, work or when out and about. 

 Typical questions include queries on personal safety and anti-social behaviour, to what action to take following a road traffic collision or on receiving a fixed penalty notice. Questions and answers are updated frequently and the 'Question of the Day' and 'Latest News' features provide topical local information, with additional questions also answered from the site by PNLD staff.

At a time when Police Scotland needs to find £11 million in funding to break even, it is calculated that the website alone saves police call handlers in Scotland over £281,000 per annum, saving time and resources by reducing the amount of non-emergency calls taken through the police contact centres.

Commenting on the news, PDMS Founder Chris Gledhill said:

"We are delighted to have been shortlisted in the DigiTech Awards. Our work with PNLD has delivered significant cost savings and enhanced services, highlighting the role of technology and innovation in delivering public sector efficiencies. Since their launch, both the Ask the Scottish Police website and app have become invaluable resources for the staff at police contact centres and the general public". 

The awards, which are in their fifth year and include the BBC Scotland's Head of Technology John Maxwell Hobbs on the judging panel, took place in Edinburgh on 18 June 2015.   

We are delighted that our clients and the projects we've worked on together have achieved recognition in these prestigious industry awards. 

Learn more

 Visit the PNLD website