GaPS participated in the Smart Policing Hackathon
During 2 days teams of start-ups, scaleups, corporates and students had the opportunity to collaborate and create digital and innovative solutions relevant for Police. A diverse and dedicated team of experts and coaches has been assisting during the process.
A hackathon is a method of creative problem solving designed to boost disruptive innovation. This format is usually limited in time (24h-48h). The participating teams work on predetermined challenges towards new concepts, business models, processes and go as far as possible to deliver tangible results.
Our team consisted of Jasper De Paepe (GaPS), Eline Dewaele (Criminology student at Ghent University), Jordi Martens (Stretch) Louise Missault (Stretch) Lennert De Clercq (Stretch) and Stijn van Daele (Stretch).
Together we tackled the following problem: The police take on a strong first-line function because they are always available. They come into contact with various kinds of issues and problematic situations (through intervention, community policing, etc.). An essential task for the police (with respect to the fact), is to (merely) identify the situation/facts. Obtaining neighbourhood-oriented information is crucial for policing as a whole and is based on the philosophy of community-oriented policing. The role of the constable is crucial in this respect because of his interaction with the population. Despite this, the constable experiences difficulties in performing his duties due to increasing digital complexity, increased work pressure and red tape.
We created a smart mobile application called 'Patric' that contributes to a better visibility of the constable, increases the information gathering of the police organisation and improves efficiency.