Hilversum, 24 February 2008

2waytraffic mobile SMS warning system wins innovation award for Dutch police

2waytraffic mobile, the rapidly growing mobile division of the 2waytraffic Group, is delighted to announce that its SMS warning system developed for the Dutch police, SMS-Alert, has been awarded the Gonsalves Award for Most Innovative Project in Law Enforcement.

SMS-Alert, which allows citizens to assist in police matters, is currently used in ten local police forces in the Netherlands, with roll out to the remaining forces currently in progress. Citizens who have pre-registered with the police, receive an SMS on their mobile when an incident occurs in their postcode area and are asked to call the police with sightings and information.

By reaching large numbers of citizens in a short time period in this way, the police benefit from extra ‘ears and eyes’ to assist in incident-solving. In the ten regions currently using the system, SMS-Alert has been a great success, with one in every three cases of a missing person, robbery or burglary in some local forces being solved via the method.

Raymond Kokken, Managing Director, 2waytraffic mobile, said: “From the very beginning we have worked closely and intensively with the police in this project. The approach to begin small and then roll out nationally, has worked very well, and we are proud to have been able to contribute to this success with our knowledge, experience and technology”.

SMS-Alert was introduced in the local police force in Midden en West Brabant as a pilot project three years ago, and was instantly popular with citizens. The police encourage and motivate users to actively participate by always informing them on how a case has ended. In 2005 the project achieved a special recommendation for the Hein Roethof Award.

About 2waytraffic mobile

2waytraffic mobile combines creativity, content and technology and is a frontrunner in the rapidly developing mobile services market. Through its extensive network 2waytraffic brings mobile services to over 1.5 billion end users in over 20 countries worldwide.

<< back