El UNIVERSAL (Mexico)
MEXICO CITY – Let’s call it spot-a-cop!
The Mexico City’s Ministry of Public Security has dubbed it Mi Policia (My Police), a smartphone app launched this week that uses GPS technology to allow smartphone users to communicate with their local police directly, and in real-time, reports El Universal. This is believed to be the first such app in the world.
According to Jesus Almeida Rodriguez, head of the Mexico City Ministry of Public Security, who unveiled the app this week, about three million people could potentially benefit from Mi Policia.
There are two options on the app. The first one is “emergency” – for victims, people at risk or who have just witnessed a crime. It puts them in contact with local police.
The second option is “quadrant location” – it displays a map and uses geolocation to show the user where the closest law enforcement agents are, and how to contact them.
Rodriguez said that 2,500 policemen had been trained to respond to Mi Policia users in the 847 quadrants that make up Mexico City. The app will function 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, he said.
Although Mexico City is probably the safest city in Mexico and has been spared from the drug-related violence that plagues the rest of the country, one can only hope the drug cartels don’t use the app to locate and ambush police officers.
