Our commitment to inclusive design for all officers
Last updated: 28 July 2026
Classification: OFFICIAL
1. Commitment to Accessibility
POPS Notebook is committed to ensuring that the Application is accessible to all officers, including those with visual impairments, motor disabilities, colour vision deficiencies, and those operating in high-glare or low-light environments.
We recognise that police officers operate in challenging physical conditions — bright sunlight, night-time deployments, and while wearing gloves or protective equipment. Our accessibility features are designed to address these real-world operational conditions, not just compliance checkboxes.
2. Standards Conformance
The Application is designed to conform to Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, as required by the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
While POPS Notebook is a private application rather than a public sector website, we voluntarily adopt these standards as our baseline for accessibility.
3. Visual Accessibility Features
The Application provides multiple visual modes to accommodate different operational environments and visual needs:
High-contrast colour palette: navy, amber, and white are used throughout for maximum legibility in all lighting conditions.
Dark mode: a full dark theme that reduces eye strain in low-light conditions.
Night mode: a deep-black theme with red-filtered text that preserves night vision during night-time deployments.
Red-light mode: applies a dark red filter over the entire application, simulating a red lens filter for covert operations.
Font sizing: all text uses relative units (rem) and respects browser-level font scaling.
Colour is never the sole indicator of status or meaning — icons and text labels are always provided alongside colour cues.
4. Touch and Motor Accessibility
The Application is designed for use by officers who may be wearing gloves or operating in adverse weather:
Minimum touch target size of 44×44 pixels on all interactive elements, as per Apple Human Interface Guidelines and WCAG 2.5.5.
Generous spacing between interactive elements to prevent accidental taps.
Swipe navigation for common forward/back actions, reducing the need for precise tapping.
Floating action buttons for quick access to emergency and history features from any screen.
No reliance on hover-only interactions — all functionality is accessible via touch.
5. Navigation and Structure
The Application uses a hierarchical navigation structure with clear headings, labels, and landmarks:
Descriptive page titles and section headings that convey the purpose of each screen.
Bottom tab bar and floating command menu provide consistent, always-available navigation.
Back buttons are provided on every sub-page, with clear arrow icons and accessible labels.
Skip-to-content links are available for keyboard and screen reader users.
6. Forms and Inputs
All form fields have associated label elements and descriptive helper text. Input errors are announced inline and are not conveyed by colour alone. Required fields are marked with both an asterisk and the 'required' attribute.
OTP entry uses a dedicated input component with large, well-spaced slots and numeric keyboard on mobile devices.
7. Operational Accessibility Considerations
The Application includes features specifically designed for operational police use that go beyond standard web accessibility:
Screenshot guard: automatically blurs content when screen capture is detected, protecting operational data.
Operational badge: a persistent visual indicator showing the user's current operational status.
Golden Hour timer: a high-visibility countdown display for Major Incident Golden Hour compliance.
Haptic feedback: vibration cues for critical actions and confirmations, usable without looking at the screen.
8. Known Limitations
We are aware of the following limitations and are working to address them:
Some third-party map components (Leaflet) may have limited screen reader support for map navigation. Alternative text-based location information is provided alongside maps.
The tactical sketchpad drawing canvas is primarily a visual tool and may not be fully usable with screen readers. Officers requiring non-visual tactical planning should use the text-based Ops Planning module.
Some native dropdown controls on older mobile browsers may not fully respect theme colour overrides. We apply inline styles to mitigate this but recommend using a modern browser.
9. Feedback and Contact
We welcome feedback on the accessibility of the Application. If you encounter an accessibility barrier or have a suggestion for improvement, please report it through the Application's Settings page or contact your Force IT Service Desk.
We are committed to responding to accessibility feedback within 10 working days and to resolving identified barriers in a timely manner.