Electronic tagging and monitoring firm G4S Justice Services has implemented an automated mobile workforce management system to increase efficiency and handle increasing amounts of government work.

The company has a contract with the Home Office to provide electronic monitoring services for over 8,000 people under home curfew.

Each monitoring officer attends 10 to 20 calls per shift, performing a range of tasks including installation of home monitoring units and response calls to curfew violations.

G4S wanted a system that could simplify its work scheduling process by automatically allocating crew members based on their skills, location and resources.

The system provided by Aspective, automates processes and introduces wireless communications to support the expansion of G4S’s contract with the Home Office.

It is based on ViryaNet Service Hub software, is provided as a managed service and includes integration of GPS tracking and satellite navigation to provide real-time information for management and driving routes for monitoring officers.

Other features include schedule optimisation and street level routing, work dispatch to monitoring officers equipped with PDAs, electronic reporting to replace paper based methods, tight security and analysis tools for management.

The web-based system means that home-based monitoring officers can access the Service Hub portal to enter additional information when the small PDA keyboard is impractical.

‘The recent expansion of our contracts with the Home Office afforded us the opportunity to invest in a solution that would drive efficiencies across the organisation and ensure we continue to provide the highest levels of customer service,’ said John Wheater, chief technology officer of G4S Justice Services.

Wheater says the system has revolutionised business agility, enabling monitoring officers to reach jobs faster and ensures a smooth flow of information across the organisation.

‘We work in a highly sensitive and often challenging environment, where fast response times and accurate reporting are paramount,’ he said.