According to a statement from the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) the app “partners” with content available via police.uk, which is the UK national policing website for services and information. Functionality is linked to UK policing’s Single Online Home web platform.
The app – which is called Police.UK – is available via the Google Play and iOS app stores. It has been delivered by the NPCC’s Digital Public Contact Programme (DPC).
Discussing the platform, DPC’s senior responsible officer, deputy chief constable Simon Megicks said: “We want to make it as easy for the public to contact the police. [We also want them to] find what they need to know [and] understand what is happening with their local policing team. The Police.UK app puts the public in control to report what they want, when they want to.”
He continued: “We know that having a digital choice opens a door for many, meaning where they wouldn’t have reported information before, they now will. Crimes and incidents often go unreported because it’s not always convenient to make a phone call or visit a police station.
“Having the option to report digitally puts the victim or witness in control and prevents them having to verbally relive the incident out loud to someone they have never spoken to before. They can take ultimate control by using the app in a way they want.
“Having an app to complement our growing digital offering allows us to give a wider audience a different choice. It must be stressed, however, that if it is an emergency, the public should always call 999, and the option to call 101 for routine issues absolutely still exists.”
Services available via the app include the ability to report antisocial behaviour, domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault, spiking, missing persons, and road traffic incidents.
The NPCC’s Digital Public Contact Programme is responsible for “transformational change in how the public can contact the police digitally.”
DCC Simon Megicks discussed UK policing’s digital contact effort at BAPCO 2024 in Coventry, delivering a keynote presentation on the second day of the event.
