Pretoria - Thousands of downloads later, Namola has brilliantly assisted residents in the capital to report municipal problems and robberies directly to the Tshwane Metro Police Department.
So said social activist and Namola chief ambassador Yusuf Abramjee: “It has been going very well since it was launched in April.
"We now have thousands of users of the service. Apart from municipal service delivery issues, people have used it to report crime. Residents can use it to report by-law infringements and criminals such as drug dealers said.
"Namola is an innovative mobile application, developed by the Tshwane Metro Police Department to keep citizens safe. Designed to enable citizens to connect directly with crime fighting authorities, Namola is increasing the effectiveness and efficiency needed to combat crime in South Africa," Abramjee said.
The crime fighting safety app allows users - via their GPS enabled smartphones - to share their physical location with the nearest three Tshwane Metro Police emergency response vehicles and receive an immediate response.
The first available officer is immediately directed to the citizen’s location while being monitored by the control room. It’s faster and it makes the task of getting help as simple as pushing a button.
The user can also phone directly to receive information, or call or message the officers attending to the matter.
There are 230 cars within the metro police that have been fitted with tablets. And more than 1000 Metro officers had already been trained how to use the system.
“Namola works and we have many success stories.
"The idea is also to take this free app nationwide eventually. #CrimeMustFall and if we use technology it will make our city safer,” Abramjee said.
Namola is accessible only in the country's administrative capital, but the intention is to perfect it before it is rolled out on a national scale.