The man in charge of Kent Police’s resources and policy has claimed British forces are falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology.

Kent police and crime commissioner Matthew Scott said his constabulary needs to step up to “do better for victims of crime”.

The police minister Nick Hurd said the Home Office is “embracing technology” to improve the productivity of police forces.

However the Police Federation and human rights groups have warned this move could be at the cost of working conditions for officers and the rights of the public.

At the last meeting of the Kent and Medway police and crime panel, Mr Scott said: “It’s incumbent on policing to change the way it operates and I do think, at times, it’s a little bit behind the rest of the world when it comes to the way in which we use technology.”

With investment in new technology, the commissioner says officers will no longer have to drive back to police stations to report on incidents, leaving more time for them to be out on the streets.

“[We need] to equip our officers with the tools they need to get things done and reduce their need to constantly have to drive back to police stations,” he said.

“Hopefully the creation of new technology will mean that they will be able to do more things with their pocket notebook and do crime reporting themselves.

“We do have to drive for that productivity when it comes to digital so we can do better by victims of crime and free up their time to do other things.”

Kent Police is not a stranger to technology. Officers can be seen with body-worn cameras during arrests or raids, using mobile devices to take notes and appearing live at court via video link.

The force has also invested in new technology to report crime online through its website or the Country Eye mobile application to circumvent the stretched 101 phone line.

Head of innovation at Kent Police, Supt Simon Alland, said: “Kent Police uses a range of technology that helps officers to tackle crime and keep people safe.

“With the introduction of new innovations such as body-worn video, mobile devices, video-enabled courts and the introduction of online crime reporting, officers now have more tools than ever to provide the best possible service to the public.

“However, whilst these introductions have provided an invaluable resource, we are aware that new technology and its uses in policing are growing at an extremely fast rate.

“There is a focus and determination within Kent Police to keep pace with these developments in the fight against crime.”

He added the latest efficiency report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services recognised the force’s efforts and it has received funding from the Home Office Innovation Fund to set up a new digital management system to upload evidence.

“This advancement will help manage demand, ensure that our investigators have more instant access to digital evidence, provide better opportunities for a greater level of efficient working and importantly allows the public we serve better quality of service,” he said.

While the progress has been applauded by Westminster, the Police Federation - the staff association for the force - fears technology could be used to replace officers.

Simon Kempton, technology lead for the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “We welcome any tools that can aid the work of the police.

“However, technology should never be used to replace officers but rather to enhance the service they are able to provide to the public.

“The public deserve to have the officers protecting them, properly equipped for policing in the 21st Century.”

A recent study by Police Federation, found that officers “are being let down by technology which is lagging behind, not just colleagues in other parts of the country but also in some cases, behind criminals”.

West Yorkshire Police is trialling new mobile scanning software that allows officers to check fingerprints against criminal and immigration databases through a smartphone.

Around 250 scanners have been rolled out as part of the initial pilot and another 20 forces across the country are set to join the system by the end of the year, the Home Office announced on February 10.

Policing minister Nick Hurd said: “The Biometric Services Gateway is just one of a series of national systems the Home Office is designing with policing to give officers information at their fingertips faster than ever before.

“By cutting out unnecessary trips to and from the police station, mobile technology is really helping to save valuable time and allowing officers to do what they do best – cutting crime and keeping us safe.

“It’s clear that by embracing technology the police can improve efficiency and, if all forces delivered the level of productivity from mobile working as the leading forces, the average officer could spend an hour a day extra on the frontline.”

Not all are convinced by this upgrade. Human rights group Liberty has slammed the plan for being “invasive” and fear vulnerable people could be taken for granted.

Director of Liberty, Martha Spurrier, said: “This is part of a disturbing pattern – police forces belatedly revealing that they have been deploying intrusive biometric technology without properly parliamentary debate or the people's knowledge.

“This announcement tells us nothing about the limits of this new ‘stop and scan’ power.

“There's no detail about the circumstances police can use it in, and nothing about what happens if people refuse.

“What about vulnerable people? What about children and young people? What protections are there to guard against discrimination?

“Until these vital questions are answered, there's no place for this on our streets."