The notebooks have the ability to add images, take short-form statements and add signatures from the public.

PSNI officers are to start using a new digital notebook from this month as part of a force-wide push toward greater digitalisation.

This notebook, developed through the service's Next Generation Mobility project, aims to eventually replace its paper equivalent.

Training is currently being delivered to Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Local Policing Teams and District Support Teams.

The notebooks have the ability to add images, take short-form statements and add signatures from the public.

Data will be written to databases with location and time/date stamps added, a function which will offer officers an enhanced level of data integrity and security.

The main difference for the public is that in the event they are asked to sign an officer’s notebook, this will be done digitally on the officer’s hand-held mobile device with data security features.

The notebook has been developed as part of the wider PSNI mobile app suite, which officers have been using since 2009 to enhance their daily duties.

These apps, of which there are currently over 15, perform a range of functions from issuing fixed penalty notices to reviewing geo-spatial based data.

They also allow access to internal and external data sources such as driver's licences, motor insurance, criminal records and Interpol data.