Citizens urged to use Secure Eye app for faster crime reporting
Police are encouraging citizens to embrace the “Secure Eye” reporting app as a tool to strengthen community safety and ensure quicker police responses to non-emergency incidents. The application, launched by the Home Affairs Ministry in July, allows persons to submit reports with photos, videos, or voice recordings, which are then routed to the nearest police station based on location.
According to an Analyst at the Home Affairs Ministry, Priya Seepaul, the initiative was born out of mounting complaints that some stations were not treating reports with urgency. “This is not a replacement for the 911 emergency system. It’s a non-emergency system. So, when you make a report, given that you give secure eye access to your location. It then pulls your coordinates. And then it reverts that report to the nearest police station within your jurisdiction. This works upon a location basis”, she said.
Analyst at the Home Affairs Ministry, Priya Seepaul and other officials on the Road Safety and You programme
They cautioned that while Secure Eye facilitates faster response, “you must still follow up with an official report at the station if you want prosecution.”
The app, which functions as a progressive web application, can be added to a phone’s home screen without going through the app store. It supports offline functionality, allowing users to prepare a report that automatically syncs when connected to the internet. Each submission also generates a secure reference ID so users can track their complaints.
Seepaul, speaking during an episode of “Road Safety and You”, stressed that the app shifts the role of citizens from passive observers to active allies.
“Whether it’s a car accident, whether it’s a crime, domestic violence, you name it. You can report it through Secure Eye,” she said.
She also underscored the app’s accessibility.
At the same time, strict warnings have been issued against misuse.
“So, you can be charged or prosecuted the same way as the 911 report. Someone making a false report. Yes, we did try to elaborate this upon the launch, and on the website we will have a disclaimer there to say that you can be prosecuted for malicious reports.”
The Home Affairs Ministry views Secure Eye as part of its broader ICT-2030 agenda to modernise public safety systems and digitise services.
