WA police use email to fight crime

Western Australia Police have set up an email crime alert system, designed to reduce community crime.

Senior Sergeant Kim Fergusson, who initiated the system, said that it was a community participation project designed to create a partnership between the community and police.

"The aim is to alert the community to crime and emergency situations that are occurring," Fergusson said. "It also provides feedback information to the community of crime and emergency outcomes."

When an offence or emergency occurs authorised police officers will issue an email crime alert or emergency alert to a particular area, according to a statement from the Western Australia Police Service.

"The messages will either request information about something that is occurring, or act as a warning," it stated. "If the email crime alert member has information pertaining to the message, they return the email to the sender with their information attached or telephone police direct."

The system hasn't been formally introduced across the police service, but is being adopted as a local initiative by individual stations and districts, according to the statement.