You can now share images of Wolverhampton crooks thanks to an app
A policing app which allows the public to share images of suspected criminals is to be rolled out to Wolverhampton.
The Facewatch app for mobile phones and tablets also allows users to provide statements and details of crime.
Officers use the app predominantly to identify retail crime suspects like shoplifters, pick pockets, and 'purse dippers'.
The app will be formally launched in the city by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, tomorrow.
Click here for Facewatch for desktop computers
Click here for Facewatch for Apple iOS devices
A Wolverhampton Business Crime Reduction Group, formed of business leaders, the council and police, will also be launched.
Mr Jamieson, said: "Facewatch will make life tough for the shoplifters, vandals and other criminals of Wolverhampton but much easier for local businesses – and that is what we want to see.
"With even greater uptake of schemes like Facewatch, the launch of initiatives such as Wolverhampton Business Crime Reduction Group and the continued help from sharp-eyed members of the public, we can tackle business crime and make Wolverhampton's shops, bars and streets safer and more welcoming places to visit."
West Midlands Police has been using Facewatch in areas of Birmingham for more than two years and over 6,000 images have been uploaded in that time.
More than 1,000 West Midlands businesses have already signed up to the app and more than 100 people have been arrested as a result.
