Avon and Somerset police launch online crime tracker The Avon and Somerset police service has launched an online crime tracker to provide the public with access to information extracted from its systems. The force hopes that the website, named TrackMyCrime, will help cut the time people spend waiting for police officers to call them back about their enquiries, as they will be …
Thwoppa! Thwoppa! Thwoppa!
SWAT team abseils down from the chopper and proceeds to kick your door in.
"Alright sonny! You've deliberately and with malice aforethought used the letter i (lower case) in front of another word. We've got you bang to rights on the charge of taking the p*ss out of Chief Constable Jobs."
Just been burgled...did they take your pc laptop and smartphone?...Yes..Oh dear,! so I guess this is no help then....
So we can expect more bobbies to be out on the streets as they have more time on thier hands. Of course they will be stood at the side of the road holding a speed gun..
"Victims of crime are also able to send messages back to the investigation team and view information, for instance, about their stolen or damaged property"
11.26 Your stolen TV is now located in a warehouse in Xyz.
17.38 Your £800 stolen TV has now been sold to Mr John Doe of Xyz for £300 cash.
18.32 John Doe installed your stolen TV in his living room.
19.35 The burglars celebrate by having rounds at the local pub.
...anything that reminds the plod that they serve the public and that the warrant cards they carry are a priviledge given to them by the public government, is a good thing.
Too many coppers think that the warrant card is a weapon to be used against the public ... photographers in particular.
So now I can receive a text telling me that the they've spoken to the person on the video footage I provided, who was brazenly putting my mountain bike in the boot of his car, and they are 'satisfied' with his explanation, instead of me having to wait 12 weeks to receive a letter.
While I can see the benefit of the system as a whole, I can't help feeling the money would be better spent actually making communities safer........
Perhaps it's just me <sigh>
ps - 11 months on - still no mountainbike!
It's a nice idea, an informative and responsive police service,
However...........
"You can check your bank account and track parcels online, it makes sense to provide a service where you can check details about your crime too."
There is a reason that some of us will not touch online banking without a strong authentication, Also, just because something can be done in one context does not necesisarily make it appropriate in another.
And what are the possibilities for the crooks to use the system to track how well the investigation is going, and therefore when to take a holiday in a country with no extradition treaties?
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