A PHONE app to help combat poaching has been used to report more than 60 incidents in its first three months.
Schoolboy Aaron Christiansen created software in his spare time which makes it easy to use a smart phone to report to the police suspicious activities that might be linked to poaching.
The app can be downloaded free on Android, Apple and Windows phones and takes the user step-by-step through creating a report while providing accurate GPS location tags. It has already been downloaded almost 2,000 times.
The app was launched at the end of November at the National Wildlife Crime Enforcers’ Conference in Leamington Spa. It was developed as part of Project Poacher, a national initiative launched by the England and Wales Poaching Priority Delivery Group.
Glynn Evans, BASC’s head of game and deer management, said: “A major issue with poaching is that it often goes unreported; without people providing the intelligence, it is difficult for police to respond effectively. This app is starting to prove to be an effective way of doing this.”
Aaron, 15, said: “I am really happy that people have found a use for this app. A lot of people put an awful lot of work into this project.
“It’s great to see that so many people like what has been done. Hopefully, they think it is a useful tool in the fight against this wildlife crime.”
Reports can be sent to the police and other enforcement agencies with information about the type of incident, vehicles or suspects and any other witnesses; the app also provides extra information about poaching legislation.