The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) is set to employ all possible means to work effectively in increasing security, the latest move being the Hawk Eye App. The Hawk Eye is a Reporting App that will enable users report crimes anonymously, using videos, voice or text.
The Hawk Eye is part of the enterprise crime management solution,‘iPolice Hawk Eye’. It is another innovative method employed by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) after the recently launched Public Complaints Rapid Response Unit which was introduced to fight corruption and abuse by police officers and is available on Social Media.
According to ITPULSE, Hawk Eye App was developed by web Assets Nigeria Limited, a Lagos based tech firm, in partnership with US based tech firms BBGN&K, and Microsoft with the active collaboration of the NPF.
It is available for download on Google store. It will also be available on the App Store and Microsoft too. The Hawk Eye Crime Reporting App is free and is available in English and Native languages which include: Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and Pidgin.
Citizens can download the Hawk Eye Crime Reporting app for free, select the crime type to be reported, capture image, video or call for help. The system uses GPS location services on the user’s mobile phone to identify user’s location for immediate police response.
The system is currently available for reporting by citizens in the federal capital territory (FCT) in Abuja and will be launched in Lagos in September, with rollout plan for other states.
The Hawk Eye project is managed by DIG ICT, Foluso Adebanjo of the NPF, and is already available for reporting by citizens in FCT. It is scheduled to begin in Lagos State by September, and the plan for its activation in other states in progress.
According to the NPF, users report crimes using the Hawk Eye, they remain anonymous. Also, a quick and efficient response is promised by a police patrol vehicle which will receive the reported crime dispatched by the police command. This could greatly improve the security state of the country, as citizens would be able to report what they see without the fear of the leak being traced back to them.
As citizens, we hope that it is truly anonymous and that the response would be as swift as it is being advertised. If it is proven so, it can be a good source of leads for the NPF investigations, and the NPF should spread the word of the availability of such reporting tool. The potential effectiveness of this app is obvious.
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