Citizens now have a mobile app which will allow them the ability the contact with the Police Complaints Authority directly in the event they have a report to file against police officers.
The app was launched yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel by the PCA and is available for download on both iOS and android platforms as PCA Trinidad & Tobago.
The app allows for interaction with the PCA with the swipe of a finger and allows for the strictest of confidentiality.
The aim is to get the information to the PCA in the shortest time frame and affording the person who is sharing the information the protection of anonymity if they choose.
Director of the PCA David West, in his address, said the app is the first of its kind in the region and possibly the world.
The app was designed by Intelligent Applications at a cost which West did not disclose, He said the cost was not exorbitant.
In responding to questions from the media, West said the app allows for interface with the PCA with informants giving feedback. He added that the staff of his organisation have been trained to access the information with confidentiality and pass it on to investigators. The user can also attach photographs and videos with their reports if desired.
Deputy Director of the PCA Michelle Solomon-Baksh commenting on how soon the PCA would be able to give feedback on complaints said summary offences such as assault and robbery had a six-month statutory limitation and therefore will be responded to swifter than instances of rape and murder which are indictable offences.
She also highlighted that the purpose of the app was to provide a safe place for the citizens to report police misconduct to the PCA with confidentiality.
Once a report is made the user is issued an identification number that will allow them to track the progress of their report.