Police building closer ties with community, says CoP

(CNS): Police Commissioner Derek Byrne has pointed to the importance of linking and communicating directly with the public in order to fight crime and create safer communities in the Cayman Islands. Developing a community policing strategy has been an important focus for the RCIPS this year, and as part of this effort they are harnessing communication technology. The latest new tool to enhance the police-public link is the launch off a mobile app for the RCIPS website, making the police even more accessible.

“Building closer ties with the community is a major strategic objective of the RCIPS that has been the goal of many initiatives this year, including the re-launch and expansion of our Community Policing Department, the launch of our new and interactive website in May, and now this mobile app,” said Byrne. “We are using all avenues available to us, from human interactions on the street to digital platforms and social media, in order to build the bridge with communities we need to have to prevent crime and strengthen public safety.”

The RCIPS mobile app offers information on-the-go, with press releases, scrolling alerts for traffic blockages or emergency developments, as well as contact numbers for beat officers, police stations and officers across the organisation, all of which can be dialled with one tap, officials said.

The app distills the most necessary immediate information from the website that can be quickly downloaded. Career opportunities and crime prevention tips are also featured on the home page in this format.

“Thanks to mobile alerts and notifications that can be enabled with this app we can now provide official police information in a more immediate way to the public,” said RCIPS spokesperson Jacqueline Carpenter. “Nowadays the public obtains information from a variety of sources, including social media and blog sites, that don’t adhere to traditional journalistic standards and often aim to be more immediate than accurate. With the channel of immediate police news that this app provides, the public can be empowered with official information alongside whatever else they may read online.”

The app also has a ‘Submit a Tip’ button in the middle of the home screen, offering a quick and easy way to send information, photos or video to the police straight from their phone. It is confidential and requires no personal information from the sender, unless he or she chooses to provide it, or requests a response.

“We hope that the public will use the ‘Submit a Tip’ feature on the app to send us information, photos or video about anything that they think we should know about,” Carpenter said. “It has the potential to be a channel for very timely information to police on a range of issues and strengthen our partnership with the community to get things done.”

The RCIPS mobile app can be downloaded directly from the Google Play or Apple App Stores. Enter “RCIPS” in the search field.