Witness Appeals
Timely and targeted appeals for witnesses are essential in the evidence gathering process. The broader the methods of communication used the greater the possibilities of witnesses contacting the Police.
Bluetooth Systems work by sending out specific messages to the mobile phones of members of the public in a particular area. Their use is particularly effective, improving the response to Witness Appeals in a number of different ways:
1. Location. The Bluetooth activity can be set up very close to where the incident took place, so it will allow Police officers to contact the exact members of the public most likely to have the information required.
2. Speed. It can be set up very quickly, certainly within one hour of the discovery of the incident. This is achieved by the equipment being extremely portable and able to run off a number of energy sources, such as car batteries, etc. By using standard content templates (supplied by Jibajaba Limited), the specific message to be sent can be created within minutes and uploaded to the device.
3. Anonymity. The nature of the Bluetooth process means that the message is received anonymously. The recipient need not reveal to his/her peer group that they are receiving a message from the Police and they can respond when it is convenient for them, i.e. when they are alone and in a secure place. The information they need to do this will be stored in their phone, rather than them having to write down the contact details, which could also be difficult to do without being seen.
4. Tailored to target audience. The style, language, etc. can be different, depending on the target audience. For example, a message in Urdu will probably get a better response than the same message in English in an ethnic area where that language is spoken. Also, people not speaking that language will not understand the message. It is also possible to use animated messages to get the attention of a younger audience.
5. Redistribution. As the message is stored in their mobile phone, the recipient can send on the message to their friends who they think might be interested. This expands the audience dramatically, especially if the message is in an interesting and informative format.
6. Reflection. While looking at the message later (since it will be in their mobile phone’s inbox), and thinking about the appeal, people may remember something important that they did not remember at the time they first got the message, or may change their mind about whether they should respond to the appeal.
