The country of South Africa is a beautiful place and full of some amazing people, yet government corruption, politics and slow or non-existent police response have created an nation that is ripe with violent crime.
It is so bad that every 25 minutes someone is murdered in South Africa, often for trivial reasons. A simple stroll down the street could get you mugged, and farmers located in isolated areas are often attacked or even raped by lawless criminal gang.
A survey for the period 1990–2000 compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ranked South Africa second for assault and murder (by all means) per capita and first for rapes per capita in a data set of 60 countries.
Total crime per capita was 10th out of the 60 countries in the dataset. Street violence has become the first choice for conflict resolution.
The problem is seemingly insurmountable, yet a small mobile app called Cell 411 is empowering the South African and helping them gain control of their personal safety without help from police or government employees.
“Its like a WAZE for Crime Watch. You’re able to report, patrol & watch your neighbourhood from the comfort & safety of your phone.”
The mobile app, available both on Android and iOS has become an overnight sensation in South Africa and has been downloaded by thousands of citizens who have been desperately looking for a way to establish a trusted way to receive help in case of emergencies.
The app allows citizens to bypass calling police for help and instead build cells or groups of friends, neighbours and family members who can be instantly notified in case an emergency takes place.
With the tap of a finger, the user can summon help from 1, 2 or 200 trusted friends, neighbours or relatives. The exact coordinates of the incident is instantly sent out to his friends, with directions to the location of the incident.
The user can even stream live video of an incident in case evidence is needed for a criminal case.
South African farmers are already using Cell 411 to track down cut fences, tag the location with exact GPS coordinates and organize with other farmers in decentralized, independent groups to provide mutual aid and security in the farming community.
Neighbourhood watchers all over Johannesburg are using the app to keep their neighbourhoods safer and even owners of security firms are using it to dispatch help and security guards to their clients.
Virgil Vaduva, creator of Cell 411 said, “I am happy that what started as a small personal project has become something that is helping tens of thousands of people all over the world, especially in places where police are unwilling or unable to help those who are most vulnerable.”
The app is now listed at #15 in the top most popular social networking iPhone apps in South Africa.
You can download Cell 411 or get more info here.
Watch a video about Cell 411 below:
Hi. Thanks for your awesome articles which I love. But this one is a bit disappointing because it misses that there is a local panic button app that does even more and had been winning recognition internationally recently. The Bull Horns panic button (also free on Android and Apple) tells your friends and even your security company your location in real time. And it allows any app user to post suspicious activities with photos and all other app users with in a few KMs gets an instant notification. It is being used by our local CPF the whole time now. So please let’s highlight local solutions to our local challenges too. Keep up the great work!
Hey there Good Things Guy, do you know whether this app has continued being updated / improved? What usage / subscription data is available?
An essential safety application to have in your iPhone!
It’s essential like the airbag, or the seat belt! the only difference is that it has been invented today! And it works everywhere: at work on construction site, skiing, driving or walking on the street!
It is your companion for safety. It detects all violent impacts, works under all conditions, and immediately alerts people who can act in your favor. It’s amazing how many people let their security be managed by chance!
iRescue is the only application for iphone in the world, which detects accidents and asks for help automatically without touching the phone.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/club.irescue.irescue/id1161170954?mt=8
website: http://irescue.club