Cheshire Police system will allow victims to video call control room

The system will allow people to contact the police control room via a secure video link on their phone

A new system that allows vulnerable people to video call a force's control room will help them "feel safer", a police commissioner has said.

Cheshire Police's new technology will let control room operators to send a secure video link to a smartphone.

A spokesman said the system would ensure people can access instant help and allow the force to immediately start gathering evidence if necessary.

Cheshire PCC John Dwyer said the system would have "huge benefits".

The Conservative commissioner, who secured £300,000 from the Home Office's Safety of Women at Night Fund to fund the scheme, said it would "go a long way in helping to provide reassurance, especially at night, when people may have an increased feeling of vulnerability".

'A real difference'

"In my police and crime plan, I commit to making our streets safer for everyone and especially for women and girls," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We know from conversations and recent surveys that at times, they do not feel safe.

"This funding success will enable more people in Cheshire to feel safer."

The technology will give crime victims or people in a vulnerable position live video contact with the control room.

"In the case of sexual assaults, if a victim calls the police immediately after an incident, the call handler can start recording a first account from the victim," Mr Dwyer said.

He added that this "evidence collection at a very early stage... may help to identify an offender if they are still in the area".

The Cheshire force's Chief Constable Mark Roberts said the system would "make a real difference to our communities".

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