Do it online: another way to contact the police

A new policing app has been launched to allow the public to report crimes and incidents, find out information about local policing teams and access prevention advice and support for victims and witnesses of crime.

The app, called Police.UK, is available via both the Google Play and iOS App stores and has been delivered by the National Police Chief’s Council’s Digital Public Contact Programme (DPC).

It allows the public to report crimes and incidents, find crime prevention advice for a wide range of issues, such as burglary or vehicle crime prevention advice, which is nationally consistent, information about local neighbourhood policing teams, listing who is on the team, local crime information and priorities and any upcoming meetings in the community.

The app partners with the content that is available via the Police.uk website, the national policing website for services and information, as well as the functionality of the Single Online Home web platform which supports 38 out of 43 police force websites.

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, or find what they need to know such as how to keep themselves or their property safe, or 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.

“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 can often go unreported because it’s not always convenient to make a phone call or visit a police station. Having the option to report digitally puts the victim or witness in control and prevents them having to verbally relive the incident out loud to someone they have never spoken to before. They can take ultimate control by using the app in a way they want.

“Having an app to complement our growing digital offering allows us to give a wider audience a different choice. It must be stressed, however, that if it is an emergency the public should always call 999, and the option to call 101 for routine issues absolutely still exists.”

The NPCC’s Digital Public Contact Programme is responsible for transformational change in how the public can contact the police digitally.

It runs the Single Online Home (SOH) web platform in use by 38 out of 43 territorial police forces, providing a digital policing experience where the public can access a wide range of reporting services, crime prevention advice and information about local policing teams. SOH also hosts a LiveChat run by contact staff in forces.

It is also responsible for the Police.uk website, which provides national policing data and advice and information about policing services.

Download the app - Android

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pds.policeuk

Download the app - IOS https://apps.apple.com/app/id6478006997