New alerts make public ‘eyes and ears’ of the police

With a recent report suggesting that today’s hi-tech public is demanding more personal safety smartphone services, such as emergency alerts, and assault or alarm apps that feature an automatic emergency response to the police, Staffordshire Police has upgraded its own smart service to deliver “real-time crime alerts”.

It means officers can now send instant alerts to the public when a crime has just taken place, or is taking place, in their area. Alerts can be sent out to a radius

ranging from 3km down to a single street in an area, for example, where a child has gone missing or a home has been broken into.

This latest update to Staffordshire Smart Alert is designed to enable residents and businesses to play a more active role in their community and act as “the eyes and ears of Staffordshire Police to help stop criminals in their tracks”.

The Smart Alert app, available for Apple and Android operating systems, was launched by Staffordshire’s police and crime commissioner Matthew Ellis in March and is believed to be the first of its type in the UK. It has already had more than 4,500 downloads with a further 2,500 people signing up for email alerts.

“Crime is becoming more complex and often takes place online but we must not forget that it is still happening where we live and work,” said Mr Ellis. “This update on Staffordshire Smart Alert is an opportunity to help Staffordshire Police turn the tables on crime by responding to real-time alerts if the public sees something that may help them with their investigation.

“This new technology will make it easier for people of all ages to work with Staffordshire Police to help put criminals behind bars and is an important step forward to encourage local people to watch out for each other and get involved in making their community safer.”

The free service allows the alerts to be ‘personalised’ so that users can find out more about rural, horse, canal, school or cycle crime, for example. Each alert will include an incident number and contact details so members of the public can report any relevant information. Local businesses can also receive ‘Smart Alerts’ that are relevant to their industry sector.

Assistant Chief Constable, Nick Adderley, said: “This is a fantastic development to the existing Smart Alert system that has already seen a number of residents sign up to receive updates from their local officers.

“The update will enable officers to immediately work with the local community when they’re dealing with incidents like missing people and bogus callers. They’ll be able to either seek help through the eyes and ears of the community as well as potentially prevent further crime happening by warning people.”

According to the report by Ericsson ConsumerLab, Public safety goes personal, the smartphone is emerging as a key personal safety tool as it offers constant availability through calls or internet access, and through the use of security functions or apps. It says in this way, “citizens can make better informed decisions and engage with their social networks to contribute to the safety of their communities”.