Beverley Paly and Lawrence Suss from Cape Town are set to launch SPOTTM, a ground breaking mobile app, that allows users to request help from thousands in the community.
The real-time app can also be used to alert police and family or property owners on crime as it happens and as well notify councils about service delivery issues.
Rolling out in beta early next year, the app is expected to empower communities in the fight against crime and addressing service delivery issues as it allows any member of the public (Spotters) to respond – in real time – to victim reports and police identikits via their phones, anonymously.
The reprots can lead to an arrest of the perpetrator, or the recovery of stolen goods. In addition to crime related reports, app users can also log service delivery requests to local councils. The app wil aid the present SMS and social-media based crime tip-off services with its real-time capabilities.
The interactive and user friendly app has the following features.
The SPOTTM app features:
Green Button – allows victims of crime to quickly and easily report the incident with the additional option of uploading audio, video, and photo evidence. The report, which also contains geo-location and time data, is received and vetted by SPOTTM’s helpdesk, then forwarded to ‘Spotters’ and the local law enforcement agencies.
Red Button – is a proactive feature that allows ‘SPOTTM’ users to alert family/friends and police, should they find themselves in dangerous situations. Clicking the “Sound-the-Alarm” icon sends a location based SOS alert to 3 preselected contacts and local law enforcement. In less threatening situations, by activating the “Walk-me-Home” icon, the user’s contacts are able -via GPS- to virtually walk them home.
Amber Button – This is where app users – by uploading images or videos – can seamlessly alert local councils about service requests e.g. burst water pipes, faulty street lights, potholes etc.
“SPOTTM is a platform that allows us to become active change agents in our communities and not just bystanders when it comes to addressing social issues.” said Beverley Paly, Co-founder and CEO.
‘SPOTTM’ will be a free app, with its initial release on the android platform . After the BETA phase -taking place in the Cape Town area- development of IOS and a national rollout will follow.
To be notified of when ‘SPOTTM’ is coming to your neighbourhood, register here.