2020: Police Odyssey - revisited

Editorial: Grant Condon

Illustration: Roger Harvey

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.

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.

Now long retired, Constable Roger Harvey was the man behind the predictions and illustration you see below.

“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.

“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.”

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.

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.

“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.”

1989 prediction: Patrol jacket

Similar to today’s solo leather jacket. Pierre Cardin’s PC range: lightweight, padded shoulders. Fibres resistant to city grime. Extremely tough, lightweight ceramic body armour built in. Comfortable to wear. Doesn’t inhibit mobility, yet highly protective.

2020 accuracy: 8/10

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.

1989 prediction: Helmet

Kept in police car. Optional for life-threatening situations. Extremely light and strong. Fitted with earphone speakers, and video camera which broadcasts scene back to D24.

2020 accuracy: 7/10

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.

1989 prediction: Computer

Lightweight computer. Thin and easily carried. Various police forms and bookings can be called up on screen and printed on the spot. Maintains air-link with mainframe computer, transferring document or booking back directly to computer, as well as giving instant read-outs on the latest wanted lists, and IBR and vehicle records.

2020 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.

1989 prediction: Gloves

Durable material. Protective against sharp objects such as jagged steel. Hygienically treaed against infectious diseases.

2020 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.

1989 prediction: Sunglasses

Standard issue. Combat ultraviolet rays (massively increased in the last 30 years because of ozone depletion).

2020 accuracy: 6/10

Victoria Police doesn’t issue officers with sunglasses, with the only exception being police who work in the snowfields or bicycle patrols. Safety glasses are also commonly worn by frontline officers and police are permitted and encouraged to wear sunglasses when working outdoors.

1989 prediction: Earplug Speaker

Incoming comms cannot be heard by nearby offenders. All police comms will have Digital Voice Protection (DVP scrambling). Not compatible with Sony Walkman.

1989 prediction:Microphone

Lightweight, attaches to jacket lapel with velcro strap. D24 will have blanket coverage of entire metropolitan area. Previous difficulties in radioing police in areas such as underground carparks will be overcome. Departmental instruction: no singing or whistling on the job… and no eating potato crisps.

2020 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.

1989 prediction: Tracking watch

Departmental-issue watch also emits tracking signal, via satellite pick-up, which can be monitored in patrol vans and cars, and by D24. Its use is voluntary and it can be switched off at any time by user.

2020 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.

1989 prediction: Handcuffs

User friendly. Lightweight plastic material. Stronger, much easier to carry, yet flexible – will not cut into wrists.

2020 accuracy: 2/10

Handcuffs are still used by police officers every day, but the design of the equipment has changed little since 1989.

1989 prediction: Camera

Small, cheap, durable and simple to operate. All Police now qualified to photograph accident and crimes scenes on arrival. Supplements police briefs and forensic evidence taken at serious incidents.

2020 accuracy: 10/10

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.