Aussie grandfather develops crime-fighting app GotU

GOT you! An Australian grandfather has developed an app to help fight crime by snapping criminals in the act and sending the pictures onto "guardians".

Keith Jolly has developed GotU, an app that hopes to keep people safe and deter crime by taking a secure of an incident takin...

AN Australian retired IT professional has developed an app that captures crime as it's happening and securely sends an incriminating image along with a map of where the incident is taking place in a bid to prosecute and deter criminals.

Keith Jolly, a grandfather of five from New South Wales, came up with the app GotU after he witnessed an assault on a Sydney train by envisioning the power of the smartphone to help save vulnerable people.

Anyone at-risk or witnessing a situation can activate GotU into witness mode. Then, with just one touch of the smartphone screen photographic evidence, along with location data, is captured and transmitted within seconds to the private inboxes of up to eight trusted recipients.

The idea of sending the information to trusted recipients or "guardians" is to prevent the loss of evidence in the event the snapped criminal takes and destroys the witness's phone.

"GotU is essential for any smartphone user for those times in life when you can find yourself in that frightening wrong place, wrong time moment," said Mr Jolly.

"We can't say for sure that GotU will necessarily save lives. However, if it acts as a deterrent, or brings help to a person at risk more quickly, it may just be the weapon people need to defend themselves."

The app, however, is not linked to any emergence services with images only going to your contacts. Should this be included in the future it would certainly add more weight as a deterrent and spawn a whole new wave of crime-fighters.

For now, you can do your bit by using this app, which is available on Apple's App store for $1.99