Crimewatch is all about crimes and crimes happen to innocent people. Thousands of innocent people are affected each year by crime therefore It's important to design a product that empowers victims of crime a product that they can relate to and made to feel confident that it’s the solution to end crime. In order to get a good understand of victims experience, I asked a few people who I know personally that have been affected by crime. Understand peoples experience could give me an idea of what my app could be based around or give me features that i could incorporate at a later stage.
First of, one of my good friends Paul got mugged a couple of years ago. I asked him a few questions around the crime to get his story and how he dealt with it.
How did it happen?
"I was overly drunk coming home from a night out on the bus and someone sat next to me and pretended to know me. When the bus arrived at the next bus stop, he grabbed it and ran off. I chased after him, fell over, got a concussion, and was wandering around a part of my home town that I sort of recognised but couldn't get my head around how to get home."
"I was overly drunk coming home from a night out on the bus and someone sat next to me and pretended to know me. When the bus arrived at the next bus stop, he grabbed it and ran off. I chased after him, fell over, got a concussion, and was wandering around a part of my home town that I sort of recognised but couldn't get my head around how to get home."
How did it make you feel?
"Sick, because due to running after them and falling over and giving myself a concussion, I had no idea where I was or how to get home, and my Mum was staying in Kent and couldn't pick me up and I had no way of contacting anyone so I was in a bit of a state. Then I felt stupid that I got a bus instead of a cab, so it was mixed emotions to be honest."
"Sick, because due to running after them and falling over and giving myself a concussion, I had no idea where I was or how to get home, and my Mum was staying in Kent and couldn't pick me up and I had no way of contacting anyone so I was in a bit of a state. Then I felt stupid that I got a bus instead of a cab, so it was mixed emotions to be honest."
Why did you think you was targeted?
"Because I was an easy target, drunk, almost passed out on a bus, and everyone knows most drunk people are overly friendly and will talk to strangers as if they're friends, so my phone was just there for the taking, really."
"Because I was an easy target, drunk, almost passed out on a bus, and everyone knows most drunk people are overly friendly and will talk to strangers as if they're friends, so my phone was just there for the taking, really."
Do you have any ideas how we can stop crime through a digital platform?
"I''m not sure. Enforce some kind of instant link to a local police station/local police social media, where they have a feed, and you can record videos/take pictures of a crime as it happens and upload it using their @ or # and mention what's happening. It may mean people feel more comfortable to report a crime in a less obvious way as people wouldn't suspect them ringing the police if they put a phone to their ear, whereas most people photograph/video crimes these days and the person committing the crime probably wouldn't suspect as much, so it may be easier to report without arising suspicion."
"I''m not sure. Enforce some kind of instant link to a local police station/local police social media, where they have a feed, and you can record videos/take pictures of a crime as it happens and upload it using their @ or # and mention what's happening. It may mean people feel more comfortable to report a crime in a less obvious way as people wouldn't suspect them ringing the police if they put a phone to their ear, whereas most people photograph/video crimes these days and the person committing the crime probably wouldn't suspect as much, so it may be easier to report without arising suspicion."
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I then asked my friend Rhys the same set of question about how he felt was he was bottled and almost mugged a few months ago.
How did it happen?
"I was walking home alone from a house party at around 3am, it was only around the corner from my house, when a was struck over the head with a bottled threatened for my possessions before I ran away and was chased by my attacker until I managed to jump into a taxi which took me to my door."
"I was walking home alone from a house party at around 3am, it was only around the corner from my house, when a was struck over the head with a bottled threatened for my possessions before I ran away and was chased by my attacker until I managed to jump into a taxi which took me to my door."
How did it make you feel?
"I was initially panicked and rushed with adrenaline which was what made me able to run away, when I got into my house, I think I was in a state of shock, I tired to calm myself down and look on the bright side that I was ok (unaware I was bleeding at this stage) and nothing was taken."
"I was initially panicked and rushed with adrenaline which was what made me able to run away, when I got into my house, I think I was in a state of shock, I tired to calm myself down and look on the bright side that I was ok (unaware I was bleeding at this stage) and nothing was taken."
Why did you think you was targeted?
"It had to be an opportunist who took advantage of the situation I feel in no was was I personally targeted, just wrong place wrong time, it would have happened to anyone walking along that road if it wasn’t me."
"It had to be an opportunist who took advantage of the situation I feel in no was was I personally targeted, just wrong place wrong time, it would have happened to anyone walking along that road if it wasn’t me."
Do you have any ideas how we can stop crime through a digital platform?
"Police were unable to identify the attacker through CCTV or DNA taken from the bottle used to attack me. Maybe if there was more awareness on social media residence of Hyde Park could provide any descriptions of people they looked looking suspicious that night. Other than that potentially utilizing any taxi recording equipment may have been beneficial in identifying the attacker preventing further crime."
"Police were unable to identify the attacker through CCTV or DNA taken from the bottle used to attack me. Maybe if there was more awareness on social media residence of Hyde Park could provide any descriptions of people they looked looking suspicious that night. Other than that potentially utilizing any taxi recording equipment may have been beneficial in identifying the attacker preventing further crime."
These answers act as a starting point for an idea. I want to create a digital product that's in the interest of victims. Crimewatch's mission is all about putting an end to crime, so If I can gather ideas from people who have been affected first hand then I feel it's an advantage point for me to create a unique product that's coming from the view point of victims and not someone who has never been effected by crime. Its makes the concept a lot stronger and relatable for people affected.
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