£500,000 for police to develop phone app

The European Union grant for E660,000 will fund West Yorkshire Police’s Athena project for three years, paying for re searchers to develop a new piece of software for mobile phones and digital devices.

The aim is to capture real-time information from the public during crisis situations to ensure officials have a better picture of what is going on.

It would mean that if traditional forms of communication go down during an event such as a major flood or epidemic, members of the public would still be able to send information.

West Yorkshire Police is thought to be the first UK force to co-ordinate the delivery of a European Commission security research project of this scale.

At the end of the three-year project to research how the app and accompanying control panel will work, the prototype could be picked up and developed commercially.

It is being led by Detective Inspector Andrew Staniforth, who heads up the International Projects Programme Team. He said: “Athena seeks to capture real-time intelligence directly from the public in order to complement a bigger, overall picture of significant incidents.

“There have been many examples across the world where security events have seen members of the public using their mobile devices to share what they have witnessed.

“As well as the challenges this brings, such instant communication opens up a wealth of opportunities for crisis managers.”

Police and crime commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson said: “This project demonstrates our continued commitment to investment and innovation and shows that West Yorkshire Police is leading the way in ground-breaking research.”