SMS Is the New 'COPS' (in the UK, at Least)
Our belligerent forefathers are searching for ways to cut down their crime rate, and SMS text messaging could be the answer. In East London schools, a new plan is being tested wherein students are encouraged to report their knife-wielding classmates to the authorities via anonymous text messages. Anti-crime partnership Crimestoppers, the mastermind behind the SMS tip plan, hopes to take a bite out of knife crime, which has become rampant among Brit youth.
Crimestoppers conjectures that kids will feel more comfortable snitching while cloaked behind a medium they know and love -- SMS. Messages are encrypted to ensure informants' security, and the text-informant plan is currently under way at three Tower Hamlets schools. If successful, the program could be expanded throughout London. [Source: Silicon.com, via Textually]
