Cops’ online reporting tool

Witnesses will be able to send video footage and images directly to Police Scotland as part of a national online reporting tool for major incidents.

The Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) is a website that will give Monklands residents access to various forms in the event of a terror attack, major disaster or a high profile incident such as a murder.

It allows people to send information, reports, images and video footage directly to the police casualty bureau and major incident teams.

MIPP has been rolled out across Scotland by the Major Incident Support and Co-ordination Unit.

Assistant chief constable Duncan Sloan, of major crime and public protection, said: “The portal is a quick and easy way for the public to submit information that could be vital in a major incident.

“It can also be used if there’s an incident that involves mass casualties and you want to report a person missing who you believe is involved.

“Before MIPP was introduced in Scotland, a dedicated incident call centre would be set up at the early stages to process this information.

“If witnesses wanted to send in video footage, it would either be done by calling 101 or using a‘contact us’form, and an officer would be sent out to retrieve it.

“MIPP can be activated in a much shorter space of time and information can be gathered while police resources are still being deployed.

“It’s simple to use and will hopefully help us to do our job quicker by having as much information at our disposal as possible to deal with any major incident efficiently.”

High profile incidents where a large volume of information or video footage have been taken is an example of when MIPP could be used by an investigation team.

The Major Incident Support and Co-ordination Unit was set up in September 2018 to act as a central department that would provide a single point of contact for police officers.

The unit will serve as a gatekeeper for how Police Scotland officers use MIPP and tailor the forms to each individual inquiry.