SAFETY APPS
In Northamptonshire the free smartphone app – Flare Report – has been launched to help women and girls feel safer on Northamptonshire’s streets. There are also a variety of other apps available that you can download to your phone which can help you to feel safer on a night out. Find out more and where to download below.
This free app allows you to report, anonymously and quickly, any incidents or behaviour that may make you feel unsafe when you are out and about. Police will collate and analyse the reports made, so that problem areas can be identified, and action is taken. The Flare Report is not for reporting crimes in progress.
You can use Google Maps to instantly share your location with someone? Simply tap your profile picture, select ‘Share Location’, and then choose who you’d like to share it with. They’ll get live updates on where you are, helping them monitor your journey home. Be aware that this can drain your battery very quickly, so be sure to turn it off when you don’t need it.
Similarly, you can share your current location with your Whatsapp contacts. All you need to do is open an existing chat (or start a new one), tap to add an attachment, select ‘Location’, then ‘Share Live Location’. You can choose how long you want your location to be shared for, from 15 minutes to 8 hours.
What3Words divides the entire world into 3-metre squares, and gives each square a unique three-word address. Using the What3Words app means you can accurately give your exact location, even if you’re in the middle of nowhere.
The Life360 app is a GPS phone locator and tracker. You can add trusted family and friends into private ‘circles’, and the app will automatically share your real-time location with them. The ‘Help Alert’ button can be used to tell people in your circle that you’re feeling unsafe and need help.
The Hollie Guard app can alert your emergency contacts to your GPS location with just a tap or shake. It also sends audio and video directly to your emergency contacts’ mobiles.
The bSafe app responds to both touch and voice commands. It can call for help as well as record audio and video. The SOS feature lets contacts see your location as well as see and hear everything going on around you. The ‘fake call’ feature simulates an incoming call, helping you get out of conversations you don’t want to be in.
