On Tuesday, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force launched a Crime Hotline App to boost the fight against crime amid a surge in deadly gun violence.
According to the police, the app, developed by an officer, is user-friendly.
A vetted police team trained to handle sensitive information would examine and manage the data the app receives, including text, photos, and voice notes.
The police also released a promo for the new initiative.
“The fight against crime is ever so challenging,” Police Commissioner Cruscita Descartes-Pelius told the launching ceremony.
“As a result, we need to be proactive as it relates to how we deal with information received,” she explained.
“In the use of technology, we are creating a culture of security and awareness,” Descartes-Pelius stated.
She said educating people about using the app and its purpose would result in significant strides in crime-fighting efforts.
The Police Commissioner declared that failure to use technology would make it almost impossible to deal with the scourge of criminal activities effectively.
She encouraged the public to use the Crime Hotline App to inform the police to make communities safer.
“We beg of you to use this app. It will make a great change,” Descartes-Pelius stated.
Individuals who use the app can give information anonymously.
Deputy Police Commissioner Dr. Mashama Sealy explained that the app does not pull the user’s IP address or other information.
“The only information we would have is whether the information comes from an Apple phone or an Android phone, and that is mainly because of the two platforms that are being used – Apple Store and Google Play Store,” Sealy told reporters.
She also said the app does not require input of personal information, email, or phone numbers, thereby protecting the user’s identity.
“There’s no personal information that you have to input to download the app. You scan, it shows up, you install, and that’s it,” the Deputy Police Commissioner stated.
Regarding a crime in progress though, Sealy said the police would want immediate information.
As a result, she said it would be better to call the 555 anonymous hotline rather than sitting and typing the information, which would take time.
Will the app soucere on you just like the police tell the criminals you report them?
At asking for a ftiend…what courage to you offer to law enforcement. Smh
Great step in the right direction RSPF, next approach should be a crime stoppers hotline, neighborhood alert system to help keep the public safe and a proper data base/registry to track criminal.
I will never advise the public to use the app unless it goes into pilot with some users and the results are published. I have not bought into the idea that the reporter will remain anonymous and the data is encrypted. Until I am convinced then this app will not be on my phone. The commissioner does not sound tech savvy to be talking about the APP. Please have a media call to demo the app. Sounds like a stupid idea if the data is not encrypted. This App should not be developed by one person.
The code should be from different sources so no one person has full access and that is a layer of security – Please come again
I am all in favor for initiatives like this but please do not lie about privacy on the internet, unless you are using a vpn certain metadata including your ip address is logged on the backend the moment your device communicates with this system.
@Mischief, the app does not need to be developed by more than one group, what it needs is an independent IT Security Audit completed with published results. If communications between your device and system are not TLS encrypted it would fail this audit and maybe shouldn’t be allowed on any app store. Also if the database is not protected from the outside world then again it would fail this audit. What I want to know is if the server logs are disabled or wiped to ensure IP Addresses are not stored because they can easily work with the ISPs who keep a log of IP Address assignments to the modems in your homes and mobiles phones.