A new mobile alert system for missing persons named “Chantelle Alert” will be operational “within a matter of weeks,” Ambassador Hurst announced during Thursday’s post-cabinet press briefing.
The system, developed following the recent murder of Chantelle Crump, will allow cell phone owners to download an app that delivers immediate notifications when missing person reports are filed with police.
“Whenever there is a missing person report made to the police or made by the police, that report will immediately be shared with all those cell phone owners who have downloaded the app,” Hurst explained.
The ambassador indicated that some copyright issues are currently causing minor delays in the full implementation of the system.
When questioned about community-led emergency response teams being formed in Jennings in the wake of recent incidents, Hurst suggested cooperation with the police might be more effective than standalone community initiatives.
“Working with the police might be a better bet than standing alone as a community,” he said, noting that crime often crosses constituency boundaries.
