Bit speculative this but hey, this is a general chat part of the site,
and this forum is about phones, so I just wonder if anyone thinks this
idea has any merit? (everyone I talk to does, but no one with
any 'clout' seems to 'get' the idea - yes I know, you really want to
stop reading now, but please don't - this idea really could save lives,
or stop old grannies being mugged in their houses, or women being raped
in their apartments - really it could)
This is a system that could be implemented using ANY mobile (or for
that matter fixed line) phone:-
To give an outline of the service, simply imagine the following
scenario
Whilst lying in bed one evening I hear a suspicious sound downstairs.
At this point I feel most anxious, and currently have two options:-
• Immediately go downstairs to investigate the situation. If I find an
intruder I can at this point reach for a phone and attempt to contact
the emergency services. Unfortunately this will take a certain amount
of time for the call to connect, for me to explain my predicament, and
my location.
During this time it is perfectly feasible that I may be stopped in my
endeavours by the intruder, and the situation may degenerate into one
of considerable danger for myself, and my family.
• I could call the emergency services BEFORE investigating, explaining
the situation, and my fears for what is happening downstairs.
In the vast majority of cases this will turn out to be a false alarm,
however I am not to know this at the time I make the call.
USING THE NEW SERVICE THE SENARIO WOULD PRECEED AS FOLLOWS (for
example):-
After hearing the suspicious noise I pick up my mobile handset and dial
888 (I am not yet sure if there is an emergency, so don’t dial 999), and
am immediately put through to an automated system (on the same lines as
the mobile answer phone systems) that asks for my location, and
description of the situation. I reply:-
‘This is Bill Barker, at The Old Vicarage, Chester Green, Derby. I am
going downstairs to investigate suspicious noises, and suspect there is
an intruder in my house’.
I now got downstairs with the handset - WITHOUT ENDING THE CALL.
Should I come across a ‘bad’ situation I simply press ‘9’ on the
keypad, and the information I previously recorded is passed immediately
to the emergency services.
If however I discover the dog is simply banging into the furniture (a
false alarm!), I press ‘5’ on the keypad and the call is ended, with no
further action taken.
However if I perform NEITHER action within ten minutes, or the call is
ended, the call is AUTOMATICALLY escalated, and the details passed to
the emergency services (the handset could have been knocked from my
hand, or indeed I may have succumbed to some injury).
Once the call has been escalated to the emergency services, a
sms text
message will be returned to the handset saying the emergency services
have been informed.
In some circumstances this alone may be enough to diffuse the situation
- it would take a rather 'bold' intruder to hang around KNOWING the
emergency services had been alerted.
It must be pointed out here that ALL mobile phone companies already
have the technology to implement this system for relatively little
cost, and ANY mobile phone handset could be used, there is no
requirement for specialist equipment.
Other circumstances that immediately come to mind are:-
• Someone enters a poorly lit multi-storey car park and feels
‘vulnerable’. They are unlikely to call the police as 99 time out of
100 this will be a false alarm, however if they feel in the slightest
bit worried, they should ‘Arm their Mobile’.
Assuming everything goes as normal, once they are safely in their car
they simply disarm the system, if however they found themselves in a
hazardous situation, they would immediately press ‘9’ on the handset,
or end the call, and all the details previously given to the automated
system (name, location, and situation) would be forwarded to the
emergency services.
IF THE DRIVER FAILED TO PRESS ‘5’ (disarm) or ‘9’ (escalate) within 10
minutes the system would AUTOMATICALLY forward the information to the
emergency services.
• A nurse walking home after a late shift sees a suspicious group of
youths that she needs to pass on a street corner. Without hesitation
she should ‘Arm her Mobile’ describing the location and situation -
just in case. Once safely past the ‘situation’, she disarms the
system.
• Doctors and Social workers going about their normal duties may feel
the need to ‘Arm their Mobiles’ before making certain house visits.
• Before opening the door to a suspicious looking character, claiming
to be from the gas company, ‘Arm your Mobile’ - just in case.
• An estate agent meeting a new client for the first time at an empty
property, as a precaution, she should ‘Arm her Mobile’ before entering
the property.
• A shop keeper has a ‘funny feeling’ about one of the customers
hanging around his shop. He should ‘Arm His Mobile’ before challenging
the customer.
The general rule would become ‘When in doubt, Arm Your Mobile’.
This would not only be a personal safety device, but also as a means to
help eliminate many of the thousands of false 999 calls made (all
mobiles have the potential to track the call back to a subscriber - and
any abuser could be tracked), and all the 'Speculative' calls would be
cut out immediatly as people would not need to place these speculative
calls using this system.
Anyone got this far? Any views? any pitfalls? any
drawbacks? any comments?
Thanks
--
lukewebsurfer
Linear Mode
