Secure Mobile Form Processes for Public Safety & Police

  • One solution – universal use: Mobile App for paperless data capture & central workflow server for all form processes
  • Supporting functions: Photo documentation & automatic photo spreads, data scan of ID cards, validation of user input, offline App, and many more.
  • Secure data & systems: Encrypted data transmission with SSL/TSL, protection of personal data (GDPR), operation of servers on-premises @Police
  • Police applications: Mobile case documentation & processing, online criminal complaints & internet police station, kiosk terminals in police stations

Robust offline App & secure form workflow for modern and mobile policing

Even if notepads and pens have already been replaced by smartphones and tablets as work tools in most cases, the digital transformation of police work is now bringing further topics into focus: mobile and location-independent use of applications, relieving officers of routine tasks, faster processes in case processing, better availability of information through the networking of police systems, increased data protection and data security.
Modern technologies are the basis for digital and seamless police work – for efficient collaboration, informed decisions and targeted action by police forces. And thus also more security for citizens.

With the HybridForms App & Software, you mobilize & digitalize police processes: The offline App is the intuitive front end for the structured initial recording of facts with smartphones and tablets. Integrated functions such as data scans of ID cards, authentic biometric signatures, offline mode, checking entries for accuracy and completeness support police officers and avoid unnecessary repetitive work.
The central HybridForms Server is operated in a police data center (on-prem) – with administration of users, groups, templates, workflows and interfaces to internal police systems.

Use cases: Digital forms & multilingual checklists for mobile policing

Operational scenarios for public safety & police
  • Online police station: Online criminal complaints for simple offenses, such as damage to property, theft (bicycles, smartphones, laptops, other items), online hate speech, grandparent scam, etc. as well as tips and reports to the police
  • Mobile police case processing: Recording of facts on site (e.g. traffic accident recording, administrative offenses) and data transfer to the case processing system (VBS)

  • Mobile operation planning & upstream case processing: Checks of individuals and groups by the riot police (e.g. at sporting events) with live data analysis & PDF short report
  • Mobile digital ship inspection: Multilingual checklists for dangerous goods and recording of ship data by the waterway police
  • Police death investigation: Digital forms for recording the facts of the case and determining the cause of death by the police on site
  • Standardized checklists: Compliant data collection for all internal processes & in quality management (QM)

Online police station with HybridForms ReachOut: Secure self-service portal for contactless reporting of criminal offenses

More about HybridForms ReachOut

With HybridForms ReachOut, you can integrate self-service applications such as online complaints to the police into form processes and workflows – completely and securely separated from internal systems.
Affected persons can fill out and submit forms for simple criminal reports without prior registration using the secure ReachOut web client in their web browser (with optional time limits).
Uploads of evidence are checked by the encapsulated upload server – image files and documents are converted into secure PDF formats, audio and video files are recoded and transcribed (»data washing«).

A current reference project: HybridForms with ReachOut has been used since December 2018 for the online police stations of the Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland police, and since 2023 in twelve German states (Baden-Württemberg, Bremen / Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia). The HybridForms servers are operated in the data center of the LDI – Landesbetrieb Daten und Information as the central service provider for information and communication technologies of the Rhineland-Palatinate state administration.

The OZG-Onlinewache project is now part of the »Police 20/20« programme of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs, which focuses on harmonizing and modernizing the police IT architecture in Germany.

Digitalization of police work through offline App for operational support & central workflow server

Mobile photo
documentation

Take photos on site with a smartphone to record evidence, with automatic assignment to the respective process

Robust offline mode

Fully functional App even without an internet connection for uninter­rupted work during operations

Integrated scan function

Data scan of ID and identity documents directly in the App, with matching and vali­dation of the scanned data

Anonymous web forms

Secure web links to web forms for unregistered / anonymous users, optionally also with time limit

Multi-stage workflow

Step-by-step editing of forms by different users with specific read and write permissions

Audit trail & history

Traceable & tamper-proof logging of changes with every form update

Interfaces & data exchange

Direct transfer of the recorded data to the police systems, such as xPolizei, @rtus, POLADIS, ComVor

Protected data & systems

SSL/TSL-secured data transfer between App & Server, central HybridForms Server On-Premises @Police

End-to-end digital case documentation for faster & more transparent police processes

Improved data quality

Improved data quality

Structured recording (»Once only«) with validation of entries & intelligent additional functions

Modern work tools

Modern work tools

Digital end devices & mobile applications for modern police work, regardless of location

Optimized processes

Optimized processes

Significant acceleration of case processing & workflows thanks to end-to-end digitization

High user acceptance

High level of user acceptance

Supporting technologies, intuitive usability and a positive user experience (UX)

Seamless data security & highly available IT infrastructure

  • Optimum protection of sensitive data: Enterprise functions such as advanced signature using handwriting with finger or digitzer with secure storage & encryption of biometric features, the audit trail function with change control, or the definition of deadlines for GDPR-compliant archiving / deletion of form data are integral components of the system.
  • Consistent end-to-end encryption: All data captured with the HybridForms App is automatically synchronized with the central HybridForms Server – with end-to-end SSL/TSL encryption for secure authentication and transmission of data to protect against theft and misuse. No data traces remain on the user’s end device.
  • Data washing for external uploads: For forms with file uploads by unregistered users, protected encapsulated conversion is possible with HybridForms ReachOut. Image files and documents are converted into secure PDF/A files, audio and video files are securely recoded and (with AI support) transcribed, and the original uploads are stored in encrypted form for further IT forensics.
  • Regular security checks & pentests: For projects with large, well-known customers, ongoing security checks and penetration tests by external experts are now part of the standard procedure, such as checking the BSI specifications of the German Federal Office for Information Security. HybridForms has always successfully passed all checks and pentests.
Logo: Saarland Police
Logo: Rhineland Palatinate Police
Logo: OZG Onlinewache / Germany
Police Baden-Württemberg / Germany
Police Bremen / Germany
Police Hamburg / Germany
Police Hesse / Germany
Police Mecklenburg-West Pomerania / Germany
Police Lower Saxony / Germany
Police Rhineland-Palatinate / Germany
Police Saarland / Germany
Police Saxony / Germany
Police Saxony-Anhalt / Germany
Police Schleswig-Holstein / Germany
Police Thuringia / Germany

Higher data quality, significant time savings & support for the emergency services

Saarland Police: Mobile Policing
Ralf Stoll, Saarland Police

»Testing HybridForms for traffic accident recording (VU app) at the Saarland Police has shown us that there is a considerable potential for us to exploit. We gain time and quality through the immediate, simple and intuitive recording on site using tablets and smartphones. We can avoid multiple entries, and our colleagues are inspired by the technology. In short: HybridForms is flexible, simple, and reliable!«

Professor Peter Loos
»The use of mobile devices in accident recording not only facilitates data collection on site, but also enables greater integration of the entire administrative process.
This digitization step can significantly reduce the current process effort.«
Professor Peter Loos | Institute of Information Systems of the DFKI, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and Saarland University ↗
Mobile police work with on-site data collection
»In times of Corona, the Online Crime Reporting Portal of the Rhineland-Palatinate Police is being used significantly more. The number of reports and tips received via the portal has almost tripled since the beginning of the pandemic […].«
Press release of the Rhineland-Palatinate Police via German Press Agency (dpa) from May 1, 2021, Source: dpa-infocom, dpa:210501-99-426222/2
»In the context of the Corona pandemic, the Online Crime Reporting Portal offers a solution for contact reduction and thus protection for citizens and police forces alike […].«
Press release of the Saarland Police via German Press Agency (dpa) from May 1, 2021, Source: dpa-infocom, dpa:210501-99-426221/2

How to reach your goal with HybridForms in safe steps

1: Free test account – Quick start with demo forms

You test the mobile HybridForms app with a number of demo forms from the field of energy suppliers, grid operators, municipal utilities, inspections and maintenance.

2: Analysis workshop – Digitization and Return on Investment

Our experts analyze your use cases and business processes for digital feasibility with HybridForms as well as security and economic efficiency gains.

3: Pilot project – Real-life test in your daily working environment

First results in just three weeks: We set up a complete pilot system for you and activate access for administration and multiple users. You work with your real form processes.

Moving data – not paper. Go paperless today!