More than 18,000 Persons Using Stay Alert App

Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Corporate Communications Unit, Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, is encouraging more persons to download and make use of the crime-fighting and safety software application ‘Stay Alert’.

She was speaking on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) television programme Issues and Answers recently. She noted that, currently, there are more than 18,000 persons utilising the app.

Superintendent Lindsay said the software can be accessed at the Google Play Store by smartphone.

“The Stay Alert app is a must-have. Once you have an Android phone you should try to get it. In recent times, we have done some modification in the app to make it more user-friendly,” she noted.

The app has a panic mode which, when activated, sends an alert to the police that the user is in an emergency situation. It also facilitates reporting of incidents.

“What this allows you to do is to give every citizen the opportunity to participate in their own safety and security,” Superintendent Lindsay pointed out.

It also includes alerts, which provide users with the latest news, tips, updates and other information from the police blotters; iReport, which allows users to anonymously upload video, audio, photo or messages about suspicious individuals or crimes; and the laws component, which provides snippets of Jamaican legislation.

Superintendent Lindsay urged persons not to press the panic button unless there is a real emergency.

“If you are out there as a citizen and you witness an incident and believe that you want to say something, we ask you to use the report feature,” she explained.

Superintendent Lindsay advised that the system is secure and information provided is treated confidentially.

“Only the police would have access to the information… and not every police… it works with the 811 system that we have. It is a secure system that is not answered by the regular police, and a part of it is answered offshore,” she added.

The app was made available in February 2015 and is free of cost.