Police Digital Public Contact Programme crime reporting app

UK policing has launched an app to enable members of the public to report crimes and incidents. Other functionality includes the ability to find information about local policing teams, as well as accessing “prevention advice” and support for victims and witnesses of crime.

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According to a statement from the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) the app “partners” with content available via police.uk, which is the UK national policing website for services and information. Functionality is linked to UK policing’s Single Online Home web platform.

The app – which is called Police.UK – is available via the Google Play and iOS app stores. It has been delivered by the NPCC’s Digital Public Contact Programme (DPC).

Discussing the platform, DPC’s senior responsible officer, deputy chief constable Simon Megicks said: “We want to make it as easy for the public to contact the police. [We also want them to] find what they need to know [and] understand what is happening with their local policing team. The Police.UK app puts the public in control to report what they want, when they want to.”

He continued: “We know that having a digital choice opens a door for many, meaning where they wouldn’t have reported information before, they now will. Crimes and incidents often go unreported because it’s not always convenient to make a phone call or visit a police station.