Cape Town - A locally developed application is on course to cover Gauteng province with its emergency response application.
Casi is an emergency response application that allows subscribers to request a response vehicle from smartphones.
“We currently cover about 65% of Gauteng and we'll cover the whole of Gauteng within the next two weeks,” Limitless Virtual developer Chrizaan Keyser told Fin24.
In contrast to the Namola in the City of Tshwane, Casi subscribers pay R500 for a “panic button” on their smartphones. There is a monthly registration fee of R35 for the app.
READ: Tshwane launches city-wide crime safety app
The button can be activated in an emergency situation to dispatch private security services to the location.
Crime stats
“Security companies offer a wide range of services and technologies to protect you in your home, however the crime stats show that three times more assaults and robberies happen outside of your home,” said Keyser.
“Casi is designed as an assurance that should you find yourself in a live threatening situation, someone will always be available to rapidly come to your assistance,” she added.
The City of Tshwane’s Namola project has equipped 135 Metro Police vehicles with tablets and no direct cost to users.
READ: 'Life-saving' emergency app launches in SA
National crimes statistics show that murder increased 4.6% to 17 805 cases and aggravated robbery increased 8.5% to 129 045 reported incidents.
In Gauteng, there was an increase of 10.4% for murder to 3 671 and 11.4% in aggravated robbery to 47 362 incidents.
Corruption has tainted police and in his April Budget Vote, Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko highlighted corruption arrests of South African Police Service members.
“Since the establishment of the new mandate in 2012, IPID has secured more than 400 disciplinary convictions; ranging from sanction of corrective counselling, dismissal from service, final written warnings, fines, suspension, verbal and written warnings; and more than 300 criminal convictions, ranging from short to long term imprisonment,” Nhleko said.
Keyser said that you can access Casi irrespective of whether you are subscribed to a private security service.
“Your coverage and security is therefore not limited by the range of your security company and the responder best located to serve you will be sent.”
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