Police unveil app linking public to their nearest officer

Link to original article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-video/8718220/Police-unveil-app-linking-public-to-their-nearest-officer.html

In Surrey, the police has created an application for smartphones, given the public the opportunity to contact near police officers and see what they are doing at that moment. Surrey Police hope to involve the public more in working together as a team with the police. Contacting near policemen should provide the public with a more humane view off the police.

Policing Minister Nick Herbert says the app is currently only available in the Runnymede area of Surrey. However, he hopes the app will be available across the county.

----

Contacting the Police personally seems like quite a good idea. However, I have some initial thoughts about this app. I feel it is not the public's job to keep track of everything happening around them. And as the app provides the possibility of (almost) spying on what the police is doing, I fear the police will become less of an institution and more familiar.

It might be the public feels the app is a necessity. However, I do feel the police needs to keep some sense of superiority towards the public, as they are, in some way, the guardians of safety.

I do applaud the idea of involving the public in safety matters, but feel some members of the public might not be suited for personal contact with the police.