mPOLIKS - The Mobile Information System of the Berlin Police
mpoliks-logo
The Freie Universität Berlin and the Berlin Police Department are cooperation partners since 2006. Within this cooperation we are evaluating secure approaches for mobile data access to police records. Further information.
Abstract
The Freie Universität Berlin and the Berlin Police Department are cooperation partners since 2006. Within this cooperation we are evaluating secure approaches for mobile data access to police records.
The objective of the project mPOLIKS lies in the design and implementation of a mobile solution to access the internal police information system. mPOLIKS is based on standard protocols and hardware, which reduce costs and complexity. The system runs on Windows Mobile devices.
Kurzbeschreibung
Die Freie Universität Berlin und die Berliner Polizei sind bereits seit 2006 Kooperationspartner. Innerhalb dieser Kooperation evaluieren wir sichere Verfahren für den mobilen Zugriff auf polizeiliche Fahndungs- und Meldedaten.
Das Ziel des Projektes mPOLIKS liegt im Design und der Erstellung einer mobilen Lösung für den Zugriff auf das polizeiliche Auskunftssystem. Dabei werden standardisierte Protokolle und Hardware verwendet, um Kosten und Komplexität zu minimieren. Zum Einsatz kommen auf Windows Mobile basierende Endgeräte.
Challenges
The Berlin police department uses the Poliks system, which stands for police information, communication and processing service. Poliks was created to facilitate suspect identification and centralize police data. mPOLIKS has to fulfill the requirements on security and reliability, which is more challenging in mobile scenarios. A shared medium as well as mobile, theft-prone devices complicate a trustworthy access. Furthermore, mPOLIKS should introduce additional benefits based on the paradigm of mobile technologies.
mPOLIKS should establish a secure communication channel between the mobile device and the network of the Berlin police department. In case of device loss, it should protect sensitive information. A simple, lightweight embedding in the existing infrastructure is needed without introducing additional, significant costs. Complex real-world use cases require a simple and robust user interface.
Security Concepts
In addition to access control for users/devices, and a logging scheme, the following security concepts have been implemented:
Data Transmission
- Message-based encryption
- Signature to verify integrity and authenticity
- Time-stamp against replay attacks
Protection Mechanisms in Case of Device Loss
- Extended PIN query
- Kiosk mode
mPOLIKS Architecture
Figure 1: Components of mPOLIKS
Showcase
Common User Interface
- Implementation of semantic input fields
- Input field position reflects query priority
- Integration of additional systems is straightforward
Input Support
- Catalog-based fields
- Autocomplete for particular input fields
- On-the-fly validation
- Verification of input combinations
Advantages for Police Officers
- Increased self-protection
- Enhanced availability of information
- Manhunt overview and tactical hints
- Decreasing error rate during information flow
- High acceptance due to easy user interface
Advantages for Citizens
- Time consuming identity check at police post can be omitted
- Increased safety
Costs
- Cheap commodity hardware
- No special hardware required
New Scenarios
- Mobile investigation
Press Center
Press Releases
- FU Berlin, July 2009: Mobiler Zugriff auf das polizeiliche Fahndungssystem [HTML]
Press Reviews
- Behörden Spiegel, Newsletter, Netzwerk Sicherheit, Nr. 221, 31.07.2009: Mobiler Zugriff auf Fahndung [PDF]
- The Berlin Express, Newsletter, 28.07.2009: Police acquire mobile identification service [HTML]
- Berliner Morgenpost, 24.07.2009: Verbrecherjagd per Handy [HTML]
- Berliner Zeitung, 24.07.2009: Fahnder surfen mobil nach Straftätern. Polizei nutzt neue Technik zur Personen-Überprüfung [HTML
- BZ, Lokales, 24.07.2009: Neue Polizei-Technik [HTML]
- Der Tagesspiegel, 24.07.2009:Streit ums Blaulicht bei Justizfahrzeugen [HTML, PDF]
- heise online, 23.07.2009: POLIKS-System der Berliner Polizei goes mobile [HTML]
- InnovationsMonitor berlin|brandenburg, Newsletter, 24.07.2009: Mobiler Zugriff auf polizeiliches Fahndungssystem. Gemeinsames Projekt von Berliner Polizei und Freier Universität [HTML]
- SOARIA, Sächsisches Forschungs- und Transferzentrum für öffentliche Informationsverarbeitung und eGovernment, Newsletter, 23.07.2009: Neues System zur Datenabfrage macht Berliner Polizei wird mobil [HTML]
- Bund Deutscher Kriminalbeamter (bdk), 21.06.2009: Ein Stück Zukunft... "mPOLIKS" [HTML]
- Microsoft, Newsletter: Berliner Polizei und FU Berlin entwickeln mobiles Abfragesystem [HTML]
Contact: Nico Wanner