Police alert with Bluetooth messaging

Date added: 20/12/07

Barnet Metropolitan Police has launched its Bluetooth communication scheme using gogo.

gogo is designed to communicate with a target audience at a relevant time and place, delivering information to mobile phones using Bluetooth. Once information has been downloaded, it remains on the user’s mobile phone until deleted.

gogo was created by england’s market-leading interactive team, working with a Scandinavian technology partner. The system was originally designed to provide a virtual city guide for Marketing Leeds. gogo is centrally managed via the internet, allowing multiple content delivery in all mobile phone formats. Information is delivered from small pods which can be located at poster sites, retail locations, entertainment venues, public spaces or wherever required. The range of the pods is between 0.5 and 30 metres and pods can be networked or programmed to operate independently.

Barnet Metropolitan Police is the first police force to use the gogo system to communicate with members of the local community. The first pod will be based permanently in Golders Green Police Station, while the second, a mobile pod, will be used to circulate information at times and places relevant to the requirements of the local police.

Tony Stanton, chief executive of england, said: “Now virtually everyone carries a mobile phone, gogo is an unobtrusive way of sharing relevant messages with people of all ages. It is a cost-effective option for communicating with the local community.

"Barnet Metropolitan Police will be using the system to deliver community safety messages. When required, gogo can also be used to seek responses from the community. It can be programmed quickly and easily making it ideal if the police need to react to an event or emergency.”