KATHMANDU: Metropolitan Police Office has launched Hamro Police app that enables users within Kathmandu Valley to swiftly report crime incidents, road accidents, and public complaint to the law enforcement agency via smart phones.

Residents as well as visitors of Kathmandu can report any kind of crime with pictorial and documentary evidence through the app. It will help pin-point the exact location of the incident and enable the police to respond to reports in a quick and efficient manner.

“The app was created with the aim of reaching out the Valley residents in a more effective way. People can now stay connected with us and help us make our communities safer,” Police Commissioner AIGP Bigyan Raj Sharma said while launching the app amid a function in the Capital.

DSP Rabin Basnyat, who led the technology front while developing the app, informed that the current functions of the app included reporting incidents, locating nearest police stations, lodging non-emergency complaints, SMS reporting in case of unavailability of Internet connectivity, besides thanking honest and committed police officers for their service, to share good practices.

“In our quest to modernise Nepal Police, more features will be added in the near future so as to bring communities closer to the police,” he said.

According to MPO, the app is based on iOS and Android platform. The map available in the app will help security personnel navigate to the crime scene faster and the public will also gain a sense of security and faith in Nepal Police.

“It will create a platform to enable every smart phone user to participate in crime reduction and deter potential criminals.

The app also provides security tips and notices to the public on behalf of Nepal Police,” the MPO informed.

Exact location of the crime scene will be plotted in the map after a user reports an incident or lodges complaint through the app.

It provides web visualisation of reports, route and location to the crime scene, while also helping police broadcast messages and maintain crime statistics automatically.

Officials said that the app was a joint initiative of MPO, Local Interventions Group, and Islington College with technological support from Third Pole Connects Pvt Ltd.