Samsung, Tracker launches new app to fight crime

The SHOUT SA is an initiative driven by local musicians Danny K and Kabelo, who launched SHOUT after the tragic passing of South Africa legend, Lucky Dube, due to an act of crime. SHOUT aims to make South Africa a safer place for all its citizens, giving South African's a voice whereby they can stand up, shout and make a difference to the crime in this country. The SHOUT app is a natural extension of this goal.

Users have the power to fight crime

"Crime remains a very relevant part of the life of the daily South African and it is with this in mind, we believe that we can play a role in aiding the fight against crime. The Samsung Apps team is proud to be associated with Tracker and SHOUT SA, in creating this first of its kind Android application to put the power of crime fighting in the hands of smartphone consumers across SA," says Deon Liebenberg, MD of Samsung Electronics SA.

According to Bronwynn Tippett, marketing manager at Tracker, it is a great privilege to be involved with SHOUT SA and the Samsung SHOUT app. "Tracker is a powerful force for good in SA, where we are dedicated to bringing down crime and truly Taking Back Tomorrow for all people. Our purpose is for all people in our country to have the freedom to drive."

Three key features

The SHOUT app will be free to download from the Samsung Apps store and comes standard with three key features including SOS, Crime Search and Hotspot Notification. Downloads and donations, aimed at empowering the mobile device user with the tools to not only keep safe, but also to fight crime, can be done from April 2012.

The SOS feature allows users to quickly call for help using a panic button built into the application and shown as a widget on the mobile device screen. Here, the user will have the option to request help from an ambulance, fire department or police. The application then uses GPS to determine the nearest police station, fire station or hospital.

Warns when entering crime hotspot

Furthermore the mobile device's GPS will be used to determine when the user enters a crime hotspot. When the user enters such a hotspot, the user will be notified with a warning regarding the fact they are entering a high crime area. Based on the number of reports previously received on a particular area, this feature will then rate the area accordingly on how unsafe it is.

This application will allow the user to donate to the SHOUT SA campaign, paying by SMS or credit card, either by downloading the latest SHOUT track called 'You're the voice' or a user can donate an amount directly to SHOUT SA.