Members of the public in Devon & Cornwall can now report crimes and incidents and find out how to access support for victims just by using a smartphone app.

The Police.UK app also gives crime prevention advice, information on local police contacts and an opportunity to compare crime rates in different parts of the country.

The app puts the public in control of reporting what they want, when they want to.

Available via the iOS App store and Google Play, it provides the same function as the Police.UK website but with the added convenience of being able to use all its services on most smartphones.

The app offers a quick and easy way of reporting non-urgent incidents, find crime prevention advice for a wide range of issues, such as burglary or vehicle crime prevention advice, information about local neighbourhood policing teams, listing who is on the team, local crime priorities and any upcoming meetings in the community.

Assistant Chief Constable of Devon & Cornwall Police, Nikki Leaper said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to contact the police to report an incident, to find out how to keep themselves or their property safe or to find details of their local policing team.

“The Police.UK app provides people with a source of information about the police and an easy way of reporting an incident when they may not have done before because it was inconvenient to make a phone call or visit a police station.

“Being able to report something digitally, via the app, puts the victim or witness in control and avoids the need to talk, in person, to someone they have never spoken to before. 

“Police.UK does not replace other ways of reporting incidents, though.  It just provides an additional way to get in touch.  

“If it is an emergency the public should always call 999 and the option to call 101 for routine issues still exists.”

The app has been created by the National Police Chief’s Council’s Digital Public Contact Programme, which is responsible for changing how the public can contact the police digitally.

It runs the Single Online Home (SOH) web platform in use by 38 out of 43 territorial police forces, providing a digital policing experience where the public can access a wide range of reporting services, crime prevention advice and information about local policing teams.