Bedfordview resident and owner of In-Detail Advertising, Gerald Yapp, has developed CrimeSpotter, a free app that residents can use to stay informed on crime and safety issues in their neighbourhood.
CrimeSpotter uses the power of the community to gather and share data – bringing communities closer together with technology and information that can be shared quickly and centrally. It is ideal for Community Policing Forums (CPFs), neighbourhood watches, townships, estates, road closures, security companies and active citizens.
‘The citizens of a country feel the effects of crime the most, and should be given more direct participation in the reporting and discussion of crime. More needs to be done to intensify the fight against crime by using what is available today to improve communications and information gathering,’ said Yapp. ‘We developed the app to try and curb the alarming crime rate in South Africa and believe that a good idea backed with good design and usability can lead to change.’
The app allows users to rapidly report crime incidents and suspicious activity. Crimes are mapped and nearby users are instantly notified. This provides incident awareness to all residents, security companies, CPF members and the police.
Reporting incidents on CrimeSpotter does not replace an official police report, and is done to alert others and to contribute valuable data to the central crime database. This data can assist in the formation of crime prevention strategies of law enforcement and security companies.
Crimes can be searched or browsed as pins on a map or in timeline format. All crime information is public as this is the guiding principle behind the project – to map and share up-to-date countrywide crime trends. CrimeSpotter is available on Google Play and the App Store.
Just search CrimeSpotter (one word) on your phones app stores to find and install.
CRIMESPOTTER
pressink@in-detail.com
www.crimespotter.app
