Abstract
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Is it possible to involve citizens in the process of increasing public safety? Police used, even from its beginnings, the help of citizens, otherwise they would encounter problems in performing its duty - many of its successes were due to the unification of Police forces with the citizens. How citizens get involved? (1) They may be directly asked by the Police officers (a method which is time consuming because many police officers need to go on the field to speak with the potential witnesses) or (2) by using the mass-media channels (television can address to a large number of potential witnesses in a very short time). We still can see on TV portraits of missing persons, or some other kind of images with which the Police is trying to solve some of its cases (thieves, robbers or burglars surprised by surveillance cameras).
If the Police would use the Internet together with the well known methods of mobile communication, wouldn’t be easier? In some European cities, Amsterdam - for example, the Police are already using it and its utility was already proven.
What is all about?
It must be created a citizens network (aka citizens net), similar to social networks like Facebook or Twitter (on the web) but with the particularity that the Police (and also the citizens), will use it in real time, for collecting (or posting) details regarding a case (either an old one, or something very new which was posted on the application wall minutes before).
How it’s working?
The citizens, who are living or working in a particular area, are asked to sign in, giving data about their geographical location in order to become members of this network. The Police may contact those networks in real time. So, if someone in this area is breaking into a car (for example) and he is seen, the normal think to be done is to call the Police. Now the Police is sending an automat message on the application wall and by that to all of the specific network members (via e-mail or sms). The citizens, with their attention captured by the fact that they may help increasing the safety, may seen the burglar and then give to the Police (using the same methods – e-mail or sms – like on Twitter) details about him, like: running direction or how was him dressed, etc.
This is just one face of the citizens network utility, but it is very useful, as well, on the cases of lost child or kidnapping or even to minor accidents because the ambulance services and fire department services may log on into the application with the same rights as Police do.
Big cities need large police flocks, in order to maintain public safety at a certain level. The keyword is efficiency; otherwise the government will spend large amounts of money and time. But, the profit here, is not only a financial one, it is also the citizens trust in the act of governance which is increasing if the citizens find themselves as being active in the coproduction of safety.
By this article I will describe the components which a software application like this must have and some similar experiences find it on my documentation. For this one I will use as a framework the following research questions: “Which are the opportunities that a software like this will open?”, “Will the citizens engage in the safety coproduction with the Police by the use of these methods?” and “Is the impact desirable enough (which are the effects and side effects of such an initiative)?”.
I have to mention that in Romania there are no similar initiative, but I want to implement a pilot program to a small area in Bucharest, and if it will be successful, to extend it through the entire Romanian capital.
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