The New Zealand Police have announced the completion of a nationwide rollout of their new digital tool, the Digital Notebook. This tool, which was first tested in Central District a year ago, is designed to help officers record their notes on a secure, digital platform.
The Digital Notebook is now available to officers in all districts, the Police National Headquarters, and the Royal New Zealand Police College. The tool also records a timeline of dates, times, locations, people, signatures, and events, and can integrate information from other applications like CARD and OnDuty.
Since September 26, 2023, the Digital Notebook Office has been available nationwide, allowing users to search and view all notebook entries, except those marked as private.
Superintendent Mark Donaldson, Operational Products Director, said the completion of the Digital Notebook rollout is a significant step towards a fully digital case environment. He added that providing frontline staff with tools that increase efficiency is key to modernizing policing.
The rollout was staggered by district from September 2023 to March 2024 to minimize disruption during periods of high demand. The transition from paper to digital is still ongoing for many officers, but Donaldson noted that over 130,000 notes have been recorded by more than 3,400 officers using the Digital Notebook since September 2023.
The Digital Notebook team, led by Inspector Tim Boyd, will continue to add more features and functionality to the tool based on feedback from officers.
