Police National Network (PNN2)
| Author | Christian Boelrijk |
| Date | 01 January 2000 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X0007300102 |
| Published date | 01 January 2000 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
CHRISTIAN BOELRIJK
Police Information
and
Technology Organization
POLICE NATIONAL NETWORK
(PNN2)
A defining moment occurred in my police career about 31 years ago. As
a young probationer in the Metropolitan Police I was suddenly
permitted by regulations to make notes in my official pocket book in
biro, rather than by way of indelible pencil, which had, until then, been
the only acceptable standard.
It was probably one of the few technological advances that required
no major marketing strategies, no training programme and no
discernible cultural resistance to change. Then why should it? Most of
us had been using biros for years in our private lives. Official
endorsement, therefore, was merely an event waiting to happen or as the
cynics among us might have it, a public service catching up with the real
world.
The parallels to this, for me, historic event, struck a chord when I
was asked to write a piece for The Police Journal explaining the virtues
of the new Police National Network [PNN2]. Now I know from my own
experience that the subject of telecommunications, data networks or
worse still infrastructures to support these, have never exactly been the
subject of prime time canteen banter. I sense nothing has changed - or
has it?
In the last decade, I wonder how many of us have become
acquainted with the electronic keyboard rather than more traditional
ways of written communication. Whether in our private lives or our
professional one, who among us has not experienced the increasing
ubiquity of that animal called the personal computer? Who among us
have not contributed to the increasing wealth of a certain individual,
whereby at the end of the century they are almost regarded as stocking
fillers for all members of our families at Christmas.
Moreover, the excitement of merely running a few games over an
old 386 has long since disappeared. 'Memory', these days, seems to
know no bounds [apart from mine, that is] and increasingly our children
and, our grandparents are demanding to become 'connected'. Unless
you have been living on a different planet for the last few years, you will
already be ahead of me. Yes, the Internet, love it or hate it, is here and
the signs are it is not going away.
The very first time you connect your PC to your telephone socket
and begin 'surfing' you have joined the biggest and fastest growing club
on the planet. This one small act has contributed to an exploding
January 2000 The Police Journal 3
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