Revisited In 1989, a Victoria Police constable cast his mind forward to year 2020 and imagined what the force he worked for would look like. The accuracy of his predictions was remarkable. Smart watches, lightweight computers that would be carried by officers to complete paperwork in the field, and small cameras being used by all police when conducting their duties were among his predictions that came true. Body-worn cameras and devices such as iPads and iPhones are now as common as the blue uniform across Victoria Police.
“I don’t think I had any profound ability to look into the future.” Still, Ret Const Harvey, now a professional illustrator having first taken to the easel for Police Life, is quietly impressed with how current his article remains, particularly because he himself was slow to embrace technology. “I didn’t get my own computer until 2004 and a smart phone until 2012. I’ve always been a little bit behind the times,” he said. “I do remember when I was writing for Police Life in 1989, we had just purchased one computer for the team which you could type on, rather than typewriters. Everything was saved on floppy disks and that was big for us then. “I think the technology that is now part of police work is amazing. It’s fantastic they have so much information available, like CCTV and mobile phone records, to investigate crimes.”
The predictions are even more impressive when you consider that when the article was penned for the September 1989 edition of Police Life, the World Wide Web had just been invented, Microsoft Office was leading the computing world following its first release, the first GPS satellite was being sent into orbit, mobile phones were the size of a house brick and weighed about the same, and two little TV shows called Seinfeld and The Simpsons hit the small screen for the first time.
In this edition of Police Life, the idea of looking 30 years into the future has been revitalised and we imagine what policing could be like in 2050.
Now long retired, Constable Roger Harvey was the man behind the predictions and illustration you see on the right.
“I think there will also be a squad to deal with pollution, rubbish and plastic. It will be a big business to manage and dispose of these things correctly and, with that, I think there will be some big related crimes.”
“I don’t remember too much about the article, seeing that I wrote it 30 years ago, but clearly as a young guy, I was influenced by the big movies of the day like Robocop,” Ret Const Harvey said.
When asked for his own predictions about where policing is headed, Ret Const Harvey offered this: “There is the Water Police now, but in the future I think there will be an Aquatic Squad to handle crimes to do with water because that will become a limited resource.
Read 2050 policing; an imagining on Pages 16 and 17. Editorial: Grant Condon Illustration: Roger Harvey
Computer > accuracy: 10/10 A ‘light-weight computer’ that is ‘thin and easily carried’ perfectly describes the iPads and iPhones, known as IRIS devices at Victoria Police due to their operating program, that are carried by police across the organisation. Purpose-built apps allow police to access databases and enter information while in the field and work with body-worn cameras.
Gloves > accuracy: 9/10 Fully weatherproof (wind and waterproof) gloves are available as part of the Victoria Police uniform. Disposable rubber gloves are also used by police.
Ear Plug Speaker and Microphone > accuracy: 9/10 Ear plug and microphone attachments are available for police to use with their radios. In November 2018, Victoria Police finalised its transition to encrypted communications on digital radios, offering greater security. They are not compatible with the Sony Walkman and no rules have been made about eating crisps or whistling.
Tracking watch > accuracy: 6/10 Smart watches, which first emerged in 2014, are now commonplace across society and among Victoria Police but they aren’t issued by the organisation and are not linked to any police systems.
Handcuffs > Accuracy: 2/10 Handcuffs are still used by police officers every day, but the design of the equipment has changed little since 1989.
Camera > Accuracy: 10/10
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Patrol jacket > accuracy: 8/10
Helmet > accuracy: 7/10
The leather jackets that featured in the Victoria Police uniform are now gone, but uniforms being resistant to stains was a consideration when the transition from pale blue uniforms to the dark blue you see today was made in December 2012. And while they’re not in jacket style, 14,000 new look ballistic vests were delivered to all police officers and Protective Services Officers (PSOs) in early 2019. The upgraded ballistics vests are indeed ‘extremely tough’, are lighter in weight than their predecessors to help with mobility, and include thermal management to adapt to both warm and cold temperatures.
Helmets are not yet standard across general duties police however they are carried and worn by specialist work units such as the Public Order Response Team (PORT), Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) and Special Operations Group (SOG). The PORT also has the capability of livestreaming their response to incidents to police command centres, however these video cameras are handheld and not mounted to helmets.
POLICE LIFE | SUMMER 2020-21
All frontline police at the rank of sergeant and below, Protective Services Officers (PSOs) and specialist units such as the Public Order Response Team, Dog Squad, Water Police, Mounted Branch and Highway Patrol have been equipped with body-worn cameras since December 2019. The cameras are attached to a police officer’s uniform and are used to record video and audio evidence. The camera has a flashing red light when it is recording. Since their introduction, the cameras have improved the justice processes for victims and witnesses of crimes, and the way police collect evidence.
