New safety App puts police at your fingertips
TYPING a message is faster than making a call. Opening an app is quicker than pressing numbers. It makes sense to think that the best feature of a safety app is how fast it sends a distress message and links with authorities.
A Midrand company, Computek, has developed YoAlert, a mobile app that enables users, without making a call, to report crimes and emergencies instantly, using cellphones and tablets.
Users can report crime and communicate instantaneously with the police. Available for free download on Android phones, the app simplifies the reporting of problems through its touch screen menu of incidents.
It allows the routing of messages to as many agencies as one wishes. It includes analytics that allow incident tracking, the broadcasting of crime hot spots, and perfor mance monitoring and evaluation.
Computek hopes to enter into an agreement with the Midrand police station to launch a pilot program to test and optimise the app’s use.
A study by Computek identified challenges in communication between members of the public and a police station.
The gaps identified will be measured to validate the effect of the police in fighting crime and a citizen’s ability to report crime and take part in combating it.
This week we interviewed Computek chief executive Harry Chakhala.
Q – How is the pilot program going?
A – It is not complete. I was informed by the Midrand police station commander it would have to await approval from the provincial police leadership. We have been awaiting instructions from the provincial headquarters.
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Q How has the Midrand community responded to the pilot and who is committed to its progress?
A – The community em- braced the solution and has been waiting for the app with great enthusiasm. The pilot has the full support and commitment of the Midrand police station commander, Colonel Steve Moodley, the Midrand Community Policing Forum and the police who have received YoAlert training.
Q – Once the pilot is complete, is there a plan to extend YoAlert's reach to other police stations and communities?
A – Yes, YoAlert can be easily expanded to the entire country.
Q – What sets YoAlert apart from other safety apps?
A – YoAlert is not just a citizen app for reporting incidents – it has incident widgets for easy selection and reporting at the touch of a button. It is a complete IT enterprise mobile platform, with modules like a workforce field management app, a service desk module for inter nal organisational use, and a communication platform with functionalities like geolocation, allowing anonymous reporting, the sending of alerts by police to citizens, zoning, profiling and audit trails.