For this week’s podcast, our host, James Dickson, invited Geoff Revill, co-founder and managing director at Krowdthink Ltd, to discuss his new app, KrowdSafe. Based in Devon, Krowdthink Ltd is a safety firm that aims to alter the way in which social media platforms deliver value in a mobile age. In response to the terror attacks that took place in 2017, the Home Office launched the Improving Crowd Resilience competition in order to find solutions to improving security across the private sector. The idea for KrowdSafe won the team at Krowdthink almost £250,000 of government funding to develop it to improve security at large events. Transforming the crowd into a “participatory threat sensor”, Geoff explained that the app allows members of the public to draw security’s attention to possible threats, e.g., an abandoned backpack, a dropped knife, pick-pocketing, etc. Creating a direct line of communication between the crowd and security, the app allows users to upload images and specific locations of anything they believe may pose a threat. Stressing that the app is not a replacement for 999 calls, Geoff advised that users engage with the app if they have suspicions about people, activities or objects. This allows officials to intercede before anything dangerous happens, therefore preventing emergencies. “What we are effectively doing is creating an environment that is much more hostile to the mischievous and the malicious,” Geoff said.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.