Hampshire PCC rolls out new app to help crackdown on rural crime
The 'EyesOn' app is the UK's first rural-focused crime reporting tool
An innovative new app is set to tackle rural crime across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight using artificial intelligence.
Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones introduced the EyesOn app, which is the UK's first rural-focused crime reporting tool.
With funding from the PCC, the app aims to streamline crime reporting, offering a secure chat function for groups of users and local police.
EyesOn will be launched in the spring following a brief trial with the Hampshire Rural Crime Partnership.
Donna Jones emphasised that rural crime is a priority for her office:
“EyesOn is a revolutionary new app which will be a game changer in the fight against rural crime for our countryside communities and local police.
"Organised gangs target these areas, and it is threatening to put many rural sites out of business.
“I am delighted to be supporting and funding the EyesOn project, so that our rural communities can access it for free and share news, risks, and concerns as well as images and CCTV footage."
Inspector Cath MacDonald, leading the Rural Crime Task Force, shared excitement about the app's potential:
"We are excited about this app and the positive difference it will make to further strengthen policing in rural areas.
“EyesOn gives police and the community a much more user-friendly interface, making it quicker and easier to report crimes and incidents.”
Lucy Charman, National Rural Crime Lead for the Country Land and Business Association, highlighted the app’s benefits:
"The introduction of something tailored to the needs of rural businesses and landowners, which makes reporting incidents easier and helps to forge closer links with police, is always going to be welcome."
The app, developed by UK Partners Against Crime, promises to improve safety and connectivity among rural communities.
PCC Donna Jones unveiled the app at a Rural Crime Event at Sparsholt College near Winchester alongside Gareth Lewis, Chairman of UKPAC, and Assistant Chief Constable Tara McGovern.
During the event, police engaged with farmers, landowners, and rural business owners to discuss enhancing safety in countryside areas.