The theories underlying community policing received new impetus with the recent advent of smartphones and social media and especially the notion of user-generated content where the users are citizens engaged in closer interaction with their local community and law enforcement agency. The five years 2010-2014 have seen a rapid upsurge of smartphone apps aimed at improving crime reporting and other forms of UGC and interaction associated with community policing.
sets out to learn what are the common features and the best practices embraced by apps which may have been successful worldwide and determine why apparently promising ones may have failed. It then goes on to produce a uniquely European solution including a smartphone app and an on-line portal, which are capable of being deployed in every European city while still retaining the 'local flavour' and diversity.
The goal is to engage the citizen and law enforcement agencies in mutual learning of local policing practices, exchange information and alerts, and provide for a platform to develop inclusive problem solving methodologies. A training scheme, including the use of serious games, will be developed to assist the training of officers and citizens in the uptake of the community policing app and portal. The project will outline best practices for police cooperation with the public, directly for community engagement, the use of technology in community policing, and to establish community policing policies in law enforcement agencies.
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