Tools are already being implemented so that authorities, not only the police but also firefighters and emergency services, can use our mobile phones to locate us, listen to us and see what is happening in a dangerous situation, facilitating the rapid response of the forces.
Created by the Basque company Nuuk Technologies, a new tool called FlexControl allows the police to access a person’s smartphone to see and hear what is happening through their camera, microphone, and also geolocation. The Local Police of Barakaldo, Vizcaya, has begun to test this new application that allows people who find themselves in a dangerous situation, or are witnesses to one, to offer the police a way to see what is happening.
The operation is simple: the victim or witness of an incident will have to call the telephone number 94 438 01 00. After calling, the person will instantly receive an SMS message with a link, which, when pressed, will give the police station access to the camera, sound and location of the device. In addition, the application allows the police to send the images from the control centre to other security agencies such as emergency services or firefighters, if the situation so requires.
Furthermore, if a dangerous situation is confirmed, while officers arrive at the scene, the police could interact with the criminal or aggressor from the victim’s own phone.
The Department of Citizen Security and Civil Protection of this Basque town plans to analyse the results of this tool in the context of the recent local festivities. Afterwards, in a second phase the integration of this tool with the mobile app ‘Beldurrik Ez’ will be tested, an application created with the intention of preventing cases of gender-based violence or violence against the LGTBI community.
The FlexControl tool was already in use by the 112 services in the Basque Country and the Balearic Islands, and also by SOS Navarra during the last Sanfermines.
Useful or waste of time?
The effectiveness of this tool remains to be seen, and while well-intentioned, it may not be effective if the victim is unable to take the time to dial the number or look it up in their address book, and then click on the link they receive. However, the ability for officers to speak to the attacker through the device could be a good deterrent, as even if the criminal steals the phone, having it in focus may be enough to reveal their identity.
It can also be useful in cases of intimidation, where someone professes insults or humiliations against someone without engaging in direct aggression, so that the victim has time to grab the phone and expose the individual in the act. It is also a very useful way of quickly giving the police access to the location of the victim, even if they do not know it.
It is, therefore, an interesting initiative that, if it shows positive results, could be replicated in other autonomous communities.
