Police launch phone app to improve communication with citizens

The Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra police launched on Monday a phone app to improve the communication between law enforcement agents and citizens.

The new app directly links to the 112 emergency services phone number but also with an area to do formalities, find the closest police station, and ask for an appointment.

Another functionalities include a WhatsApp number available for gender-based violence victims.

"Any channel that allows us to communicate with the police is a good channel that we have to promote," Montserrat Escudé, Mossos d'Esquadra spokesperson, said during the launch of the app.

Digital transformation of the security body "is key in a world where gender-based violence between equals also happens outside leisure areas," she added.

"We have to give room so victims can reach the police," Escudé concluded.

While the app is already available, some functions, such as filing complaints for losing documentation or requesting authorizations to travel abroad, will not be available until the end of the year.

Currently, the app allows unidirectional communication between Mossos d'Esquadra and its citizens. Users will receive push notifications regarding exceptional and extraordinary public security cases, such as attacks, demonstrations, significant events, and emergencies.

A section of the app will also include a list of robbed and recovered objects, like jewels. In that case, users can claim them back using a form.

The app is already available on iOS and Android in Catalan, Spanish, and English.