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New Zealand Frontline Police Get Apple Devices in Efficiency Measure

Posted by Unknown on from the spend-money-to-save-money dept.

mask.of.sanity writes "Thousands of New Zealand frontline police will be armed with smartphones and tablets from this year in an efficiency initiative that the force hopes will save millions of dollars. NZ Police say the devices are Apple iPhones and iPads. These will be password protected and can be wiped remotely if lost. Police declined to say if the devices and their communications will be encrypted."

20 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. Save millions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    By buying a ton of most expensive hardware you can find.... brilliant.

    1. Re:Save millions... by Big+Hairy+Ian · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And by equipping front-line personnel with the most fragile peice of telecommunications equipment in the world!

      --

      Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.

    2. Re:Save millions... by gstoddart · · Score: 2

      And by equipping front-line personnel with the most fragile peice of telecommunications equipment in the world!

      I'm assuming they'd put them into something like an Otter Box -- which should pretty much make them ruggedized enough.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    3. Re:Save millions... by crazyjj · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Every time some school teachers or government workers in the U.S. want the latest tech toy, they pull that same "It will save money, improve efficiency, improve the quality of our work" shit too. I've yet to see it ever do ANY of those things. Not even once.

      At least private industry can just say "We're giving it to our workers as a personal perk" and be honest about it.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    4. Re:Save millions... by hairyfish · · Score: 2

      I did some work for my local school where my wife teaches and can back that up 100%. They all want the latest toys, and make whatever excuses they need to get them, but at the end of the day they are a net loss. Yeah there is some productivity gain some of the time, but the time lost because they don't work properly, have software issues, flat battery, lost/misplaced, dropped, broken, or are simply prevented from using them because of policy far, far outweighs the good. Right now my wife can't print anything in her class because the printer is out of toner, and she isn't allowed to change it herself due to OH&S rules. There is another printer but it is restricted to some other group other teachers for some arbitrary political reason.

  2. Encryption by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Police declined to say if the devices and their communications will be encrypted."

    In other words, they aren't. Otherwise, which reason would the police to not tell?

  3. Not sure if it'll work? by Grayhand · · Score: 4, Funny
    "frontline police will be armed with smartphones and tablets "

    I'm sure it'd hurt like hell getting hit in the head by an iPhone a cop threw but wouldn't it be cheaper to arm them with pointed sticks?

    1. Re:Not sure if it'll work? by JustOK · · Score: 4, Funny

      They have to use sticks with rounded corners now.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
  4. hrmmm.. by LodCrappo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So they will "save millions of dollars" by spending how much exactly? I'm sure it adds up if you use the new math.

    --
    -Lod
  5. Freeze! by dywolf · · Score: 2

    I've got an angry bird and I'm not afraid to use him!

    --
    The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    1. Re:Freeze! by sdnoob · · Score: 2, Funny

      the pigs win

  6. Re:Setting up for iFailure by NatasRevol · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So let us know when all the Android devices being sold in China running gingerbread can be updated.
    Or any trusted source in China to install from.

    And please point out one malware virus on iOS.

    --
    There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  7. Maps? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let's hope they don't need the maps feature!

  8. Re:Setting up for iFailure by sribe · · Score: 2

    Android devices can be updated regularly, and are. The only, ONLY time you see stories about malware viruses and other crap like that, for both iOS and Android, is when people install apps from untrusted sources.

    Bullshit, there have been plenty of reports of malware in the google play store, and malware infections from web surfing.

  9. Re:Setting up for iFailure by theVarangian · · Score: 3, Funny

    And how is this different from the zillions of successful hacks against the dominant Windows world for laptops, or Android world for smartphones?

    Becasue by using Apple devices you join the Sith....

  10. In other words, they are by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    In other words, they aren't. Otherwise, which reason would the police to not tell?

    It's not the police declining to say, it's the ignorant article writers declining to research.

    All recent Apple iOS devices are encrypted by default. That's how the remote wipe works quickly, it just tosses the key for the whole device.

    The communications being encrypted is the more important issue.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  11. Better in no ways by SuperKendall · · Score: 2, Informative

    Better in most regards (all?),

    It has much less software, and a worse screen.

    NFC and a "barometer" are useless to police.

    And what about support? Apple has extensive worldwide support. Can you honestly say the same for Google hardware (hint: NO).

    You are just not thinking about the total package here.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  12. Blinded By the Rage again? by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Apple employees will be remotely wiping the devices when names of friends show up on searches / arrest lists.

    You don't know how the remote wipes work, do you? That's not possible nor would it even help if you spent one second thinking about how police would use the devices.

    This will NOT end well.

    Not for Apple Haters, no. Because more the despised Apple products are showing deep value again.

    How the hell can they say it will save costs when they chose the most abhorrently expensive devices to start with

    Curious how a device can be "abhorrently" expensive. It sure seems like you have some deep emotional issues you're bringing to the table there.

    iOS devices are a LITTLE more expensive. But for instance, what if they needed cell capability? What other "less abhorrent" tablet with baked in cellular support would they buy pray-tell?

    And what about support? What other tablet has the level of support Apple offers in that region?

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  13. Re:Setting up for iFailure by neonv · · Score: 4, Informative

    There's always malware on any operating system, including IOS. While Apple does a good job at preventing it, they can't prevent it 100% of the time. Here are a few articles talking about malware on iOS for those who think it doesn't exist.

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/07/06/first-ios-malware-hits-app-store/
    http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2012/08/29/finfisher-malware-goes-mobile-infects-android-iphone-blackberry/
    http://www.redmondpie.com/another-malware-app-sneaks-into-ios-app-store/
    http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/238101/scitech/hacker-reveals-ios-malware-vulnerability-gets-punished
    http://www.techpluto.com/ios-malware/

  14. Re:Setting up for iFailure by NatasRevol · · Score: 4, Informative

    Number of malware that came through the App Store - ie non-jailbroken phones - One.

    Charlie Fisher's proof of concept. Which wasn't actual malware.

    --
    There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure