The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
App used to find missing teenager
Further examples of the app proving useful include a 14-yearold reported missing by her family in Wisbech after leaving a note saying she wanted to harm herself.
She called police an hour later to say that she was lost, alone and it was dark. Thankfully, what3words helped police locate her.
Officers are even using the location service to track hare courses. The force was called in February about three males with dogs hare coursing between March and Upwell.
The caller provided a three word address and, as they followed the suspects, were providing updates of their locations. Officers were dispatched but the coursers had left just before they arrived. Supt Nick Lyall, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire lead for the what3words rollout, said: “Being able to identify a caller’s exact location is incredibly important. “When incidents are reported there is sometimes no easily identifiable landmark or postcode.
“Trying to establish exactly where these people are can result in valuable minutes being lost. “With what3words we can quickly pinpoint where that caller is within a 3m x 3m square.
“This means that no matter where they are – be it in a field, on a stretch of waterway or in a tent at a festival – we can dispatch an officer to their precise location.” Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is also using the app.
“Today people nearly always have their phone on them. We need to use the tools at our disposal to improve public services and potentially save lives.
“Just as you may have your In Case of Emergency contacts set up on your phone, we encourage everyone to download the app to make sure they are ready to quickly share accurate location information should the worst happen.