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The South African Police Service (SAPS) is looking to up its game, and part of that improvement includes a new crime-fighting app.

Whether or not it will reduce the police’s response time to crime remains to be seen, because I’ve spent far too much time twiddling my thumbs waiting for an officer to arrive, but it’s good to see that law enforcement is taking some initiative.

The app has been live since at least last week, reports Business Insider SA:

Employees within the SAPS have been asked to test the app ahead of its official launch on 11 October, MyBroadband reported an anonymous source as saying.

The app was created and is managed by Vodacom, apparently based in part on an e-government app called SmartCitizen the cellphone company created last year.

On first launch My SAPS asks users for their names and cellphone numbers, the ability to record video and audio and take photographs, and access to GPS location data.

The GPS data is used to direct users to police stations – using Google Maps in the backend – and media access is used in reporting crimes, where users have the option to attach such files.

First up, here’s a look around the App Store version:

The app promises to “provide a new and easy way for citizens to access polices services and information, as well as enabling everyone to contribute towards building a more crime-free society”.

Let’s see the Google Play version, for those who refuse to join the iPhone revolution:

When the team at Business Insider put the app through its paces, they noticed a few shortcomings. One was to do with the anonymous submission of crime tips:

Anonymous tipoffs are not the default; users have to choose not to transmit the information they provide on registration with the details of the crime they wish to report.

Nothing in the app, or the linked terms and conditions on the SAPS website, explain how anonymous reporting works, how information is secured, or why users should trust that the selection will be honoured.

As things stand, the app is still in the testing phase with limited functionality, and I’m sure some of the kinks will be ironed out before that official release date on October 11.

Ultimately, anything that contributes towards a safer country should be welcomed, so props to those who have taken these steps.

[source:businsidersa]