The Police University College participates in two EU funded research and development projects: Unity in the field of community policing, and NEXES in emergency center calls.
Both projects form part of a broad-based research project funded by the Secure Societies Challenge of the EU's Horizon 2020 program. The Police University College's share of funding totals €761,250.
“We have been highly successful in our funding applications and the themes and innovation ideas we have proposed have succeeded on the level of extensive projects,” says Senior Researcher Jarmo Houtsonen , responsible for the development process in the Police University College.
“The working life basis of our development projects is one of the reasons for our success in this respect. Our projects are not only theoretical but include practical experimentation. Research at the Police University College is highly appreciated and we have a broad network of international partners. The fact that we are part of the national police administration is an asset when applying for EU funding.”
Unity aims at more effective community policing
Unity is a three-year project aimed at enhancing the efficiency and impact of community policing. Community policing involves managing the basic duties of the police in close cooperation with citizens, efficiently and based on a quality-oriented approach. Aims include enhancing safety and citizens' sense of security, and reducing and preventing crime and disruptions to public order.
“Based on this project, citizens are not a target group but a partner. We develop and test new communication platforms together, including a mobile application and a web portal. The aim is to increase the effectiveness and performance of communication between the police and citizens,” says Superintendent Olavi Kujanpää , Project Manager at the Police University College.
A total of 12 EU countries are participating in the Unity project, coordinated by the West Yorkshire Police in the United Kingdom.
NEXES focuses on rescue and emergency services
Next generation Emergency Services, NEXES, is a three-year project engaged in the development of innovative rescue and emergency services.
“As most citizens are well-versed in the use of social media and mobile services, they expect emergency services to use the same technologies. NEXES will create the framework for utilizing multi-format media content in next generation rescue and emergency services,” says Senior Researcher Terhi Kankaanranta , Project Manager at the Police University College.
“The aim is to use existing smart communication devices to enable emergency calls containing more comprehensive information. We will develop solutions for providing instructions to callers, for locating the caller and the incident site and collecting information, and alternative methods for placing emergency calls. The project will also accommodate the needs of special groups, including language-related challenges and mental and physical health issues.”
A total of ten EU Member States are participating in NEXES, coordinated by Rinicom Limited in the United Kingdom.
Project details on the European Commission's website :
» Unity
» Nexes
