A SAFETY app which alerts people when they’re entering ‘high crime zones’ lets you see where crimes have been reported in Bradford.
The WalkSafe app pins locations of reported crime, such as sexual assault, mugging and knife crime, by using police data.
Shorlt after the body of Sarah Everard was found and the topic of women's safety came to light, the WalkSafe app saw a surge in users attracting more than 500,000 new users in just one week.
Commenting on the user growth, co-founder of WalkSafe, Emma Kay, said: “This app should not have to exist, but if creating it helps just one person avoid a bad situation, it’s worth it.”
How does the app work?
The WalkSafe map shows reports of crime taken from monthly police reports in the area, including sexual assault, mugging, knife crime, and pickpocketing.
It shows you how many crimes have been reported in the area- and also how long ago it was reported.
According to the app developers: "The WalkSafe map is designed to allow users to spot patterns and identify trouble hot spots where there is repeated crime.
“Whilst a single count is just a snapshot, it is the repeated patterns over time that give the most knowledge.
“That’s why the map is refreshed twice a week with new data from the monthly police reports."
The crime icons are designed to help people to see patterns and regular trouble spots and the app automatically alerts users when near these crime hotspots.
This is what the coloured dots on the app mean:
- Red – violence/sexual assault
- Black – knife crime
- Light Blue – feeling unsafe
- Yellow – mugging
The colours on the TapSafe feature will change depending on the time of day, allowing for discreet use at night time reducing the risk of alerting a potential attacker.
As well as police reports, the app also allows people to record when they ‘feel unsafe’.
The user can report anything from rowdy groups of people, drunks, if there is a police presence and even if the area is poorly lit.
There are many features on the app which have been designed to keep walkers safe and keep people more informed about the crimes that have been reported around them.
Emma Kay said: “We have taken great care to develop features within the app that put knowledge and data in the hands of the user.
“For example, the HomeSafe feature automatically alerts friends or family if loved ones fail to get home on time. It then shows the location of the person so you can check if they are ok.”
The app is free and there are no in app purchases either.
Crimes reported on Bradford streets
According to the Walk Safe app, knife crime and violence/sexual assault reports are commonly reported on the app.
Here are just some of the local streets and areas with a high number of crime reports in the last 6 days:
City Centre- 11 reports of violence/ sexual assault and 11 reports of knife crime
Bradford Road- 7 reports of knife crime
Plimsoll Street- 5 people have reported violent/ sexual assault
Aldermanbury- 4 reports of knife crime
Thornbury Street- 2 reports of violent/sexual assault
Bradford Moor Park- 3 reports of violence/sexual assault
Smith Lane/ Bradford Royal Infirmary- 3 violence and sexual offence reports
A650 between Manor Row and Oak Lane- 6 reports of knife crime
Roseberry Road- 2 knife crime reports and 1 violence and sexual offence report.
If you want to download the app for yourself, you can do so via your phone's app store.
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