Cheshire Police could soon be asking smart phone users to join the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour.
The plans are being drawn up by former Assistant Chief Constable John Dwyer. Mr Dwyer is the Conservative Candidate for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections on November 15th. The App has a working name of 'Crime Fighter'.
Mr Dwyer said, "Crime Fighter will allow residents to tell police officers about problems via their phone, send in pictures and short video clips. These can be read in the force control room within a split second."
"But it will do much more. Imagine if officers need to identify a suspect very quickly. They can use the app and what's called 'push notification' to put that picture on thousands of phones in a second. If there is a dangerous leak from one of Cheshire's many industrial installations the app can be used to send emergency safety advice."
"I hope it never happens, but if a child goes missing the first thirty minutes of an investigation is critical. Imagine the advantage the officers will have if they can communicate with the public in seconds."
"Cheshire is already a safe and fantastic place to live and we are blessed with very low levels of crime but that doesn't mean we mustn't be vigilant and innovative. 'Crime Fighter' will assist officers and bring a whole new generation in partnership with the police."