Citizen Safety app to act as 'alert centre' during emergencies

KOCHI: The Kerala Police will soon include a new feature in ‘Citizen Safety’ app, enabling it to act as an alert centre for mobilising resources and manpower in case of an emergency situation in any part of the state.

The IT wing of the Kerala Police has been working on the project, which will usher in a new model of policing with active support of citizen volunteers. IT Wing SP J Jayanath said the new system will act as a coordination centre to channelise police personnel and citizen volunteers to a spot in case of a mishap or other emergencies. “We are currently carrying out the trial run of the system and it will be launched in due course,” the officer said.

As per the new system, a police personnel or a citizen volunteer will be able to send an alert message through the app in case of an emergency in a particular area. The app will show the number of police personnel and citizen volunteers present in the vicinity of the spot. “Even if there is a police officer, who is on leave, near to the spot, his/her service can be utilised,” the officer said.

According to the officer, the new feature is being introduced with the aim to increase the response time of police to an emergency situation. “In case of a fire accident at a theatre, an app user at the spot can send an alert message through the app, which will forward it to other app users, including police personnel near the vicinity. This will help the police act fast and also request other police personnel to reach the spot,” the officer said. Already, the ‘Citizen Safety’ app developed by Kerala Police’s IT wing, which offers key policing services, is getting traction among people.