Stay Alert to have photos of suspects, wanted persons
Published:Tuesday | June 20, 2017 | 12:00 AMRomario Scott
National Security Minister Robert Montague has announced that improvements are coming to the Stay Alert smartphone application as part of measures being implemented to have greater public participation in the fight against crime and violence.
Soon, the photographs of faces of suspects and wanted men and women, along with relevant personal information, will be published in the application.
While not giving a specific date for the propose changes, the minister said he will greatly facilitate a much-needed partnership between the police and the public in working together to face down crime.
"We are asking for support because we face a monster that if we are not united, we cannot defeat," Montague said while addressing the launch of the ministry's We Transform programme at the Police Officers' Club in St Andrew on Tuesday.
"It cannot be a security force response alone, it cannot be a Government alone response, it has to be an all of society response."
He added, "Anything you see out of the norm, send us the information; it might the last piece of the puzzle that the police want. The information you have might not be important to you, but it could be important to the police."
Montague said it was a recommendation by former national security minister Peter Bunting that led the Government to consider the changes to the application.
At present, the application has four components, including a panic button that can be activated to trigger a callback from the police in the event that a person is in danger.
So far, the Stay Alert app has been downloaded by more than 100,000 persons and can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.