POLICE forces are benefiting from state-of-the art, handheld computers in a bid to reduce red tape and improve efficiency in the fight against crime.

Phase one of the Mobile Information Programme (MIP), has delivered 13,000 mobile devices to forces exceeding the Government's target of 10,000 devices by September 2008.

North Yorkshire Police is one of the forces which will be using the bureaucracy-busting devices which save officers up to 30 minutes per shift as they are able to send and receive information while on the beat - meaning less time in the station and more in the streets.

Throughout 2009, North Yorkshire Police will be issuing 600 handheld Personal Digital Assistant ( PDA ) devices to operational officers.

The programme is managed by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) on behalf of the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

This is great news for North Yorkshire Police and the communities we serve.

Inspector Alex Brandom - North Yorkshire Police

Inspector Alex Brandom, of North Yorkshire Police's Mobile Data Project team, said: "This is great news for North Yorkshire Police and the communities we serve. Mobile computers are critical to a modern police officer. Officers who have access to databases, such as the Police National Computer, command and control and local intelligence systems while out on patrol, together with the ability to submit information, are spending less time returning to the station and more time on the frontline - therefore increasing visibility and reassuring the public."

Minister for Policing, Vernon Coaker said: "This success proves that our investment in new technology to make crime fighting more effective and to save officers' time is working very well. It is just one element of a range of improvements we are delivering to cut unnecessary bureaucracy, exploit new technologies and enable police officers to spend more time on front line policing in communities across the country."