With a view to boost security and make police more approachable to public, police forces too have to carry mobile devices along with their standard protection equipment and armaments. It is done with a view to engage the community and strengthens the communication with different sectors of the society. By using these mobile applications on smart phones, people are provided with access to the latest police information at anytime and anywhere.
Why Do Police Officers Need Mobile Phones?
- With the help of technology to keep a tab-check on the community the police are guarding, day and night!
- It becomes easier to run demographic checks to look into the problems with crime and other disorders in social conduct of the individuals staying in the society.
- With a research-based approach, they have made taking overviews of society more cost effective and efficient.
- It is more responsive way to the society in the likes of speedy service and reaching spots that earlier took them more time to reach.
Security of common man has become a concern for government and state police and instant connection via mobile is the solution going ahead. Features like instant helpline are quite handy for citizens using the app along with detailed list of phone numbers. Traffic Helpline has been added too but having a mechanism of live feeds on traffic updates from the traffic control room could be of interest for citizens.
While such apps are required, there should be enough reasons for a citizen to download an app on his mobile which is basically used for entertainment and conversation purpose. Considering this as a first version of the app, Foetron can work on making it better in the future versions.
Aim of these apps is to enable people connect with the local police & send an emergency alert to the nearby police station.
Cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi and Gurgaon have their own dedicated security apps, while tech Cities Pune and Bangalore are yet to catch up with this trend.
Here is the list of some of the top security apps of our country.
Hyderabad Police - Hawk Eye
Downloads: 1000+
This app has been recently introduced by the Hyderbad Police and it has caught up with public’s imagination. This app encourages and urges people to turn citizen police, which allows them into reporting crimes, curbing unlawful activities and traffic violations.
Ever since its launch, the app has been downloaded close to 1,000 times and the 348 reviews of it together provide a rating of 4.6 stars out of five.
Feedback: Complaint tracking system makes this app stand out among others, some users have pointed out bugs: a missing help menu, absence of location reporting.
Delhi Police - Himmat
Downloads: 10,000+
Features: Emergency alarms, Women safety, Sends distress call
This app was launched by Home Minister Rajnath Singh on 2nd January. The user has to register with the Delhi police website by sharing their name, mobile number, and information of minimum two relatives.
In case of any emergency, the user can send the alert by just shaking her smartphone or by pressing power button/soft button. The app has gained the user rating of 4.4 stars out of 5.
Feedback: it's women safety measures have greatly helped the users but they often complain, the app drains the battery.
Mumbai Police – ICE
Downloads: 5000+
Features: Safety tips, SOS alerts, Contact details of family members
Mumbai Police introduced this App in January 2013, this app send alerts on the pre-saved numbers in different categories such as, home, work and even at fire stations.
Until now it has more than 5000 downloads to its credit. The user rating of this app is 4.2 out of 5 stars.
Feedback: Although app is fine but Often SOS messages sent by reviewers do not get due response
Kochi - Safetipin
Downloads: 10,000+
Features: GPS tracking, SOS alerts, Shows safe and unsafe areas
This app emerged a winner at mBillionth Award 2014 for innovation and communication.
It goes beyond typical women safety apps and provided wide range of features, to proactively plan and respond incase of an emergency. It also shows safety scores to the place you are visiting.
It has got a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
Feedback: It's safety score system is a big hit
