South African Police Service and Vodacom launch new crime-fighting app

·25 Oct 2019

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has launched a new crime-fighting app, in partnership with Vodacom.

The app, called MySAPS, aims to help South African citizens contribute to their own safety as well as support the national police efforts in the country by bringing communities into closer contact with their local police stations.

MySAPS app users will be able to:

Provide Tip-offs by submitting information anonymously through the app;
Find police stations and facilities, allowing users to locate the nearest police station or vulnerable services facility;
Send emergency alerts and emergency messages in case of danger.

Upon registering on the platform, and creating a profile, users will be able to view a directory of police stations along with nearby social service facilities.

To make use of the tip-off facility, within the app or via USSD, users can select to report the crime anonymously, which will ensure their profile is not shared.

Once they’ve completed all the necessary fields, the person reporting the crime or tip-off will receive a reference number, which they can use to add additional information relevant to the crime, or follow up on the progress that’s been made.

However, victims of a crime need to keep in mind that they are still required to register a case at a police station for investigation and insurance purposes.

“Our end goal through the introduction of this app, is to create a safer society for all South Africans. By partnering with Vodacom, we’ve been able to take a step in the right direction as a country, one that sees us use technology to support national police efforts and bring communities together to help us fight crime,” said SAPS National Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole.

The MySAPS app is available for South African citizens to download onto their smartphones from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. A USSD string is also available for feature phone users.