The State Police has created an application to report acts of bullying with your smartphone. From August it will be active throughout Italy
The State Police is always in the first position when it comes to dealing with acts of bullying. Despite the awareness activities on the subject, trying to convince young people to report when they are aware of or witness acts of bullying, many victims are afraid to go to the Police Headquarters to file a complaint.
For this reason, the State Police has developed YouPol, an application for Android and iOS devices, which allows you to report acts of bullying. Users can report directly to the Police Headquarters that they are victims of bullying through the application. But that's not all. They can also check other reports that have arrived to the Police and see if in the same area there have been other acts of bullying carried out by the same person. Messages can also be sent to the Police Headquarters anonymously, and the Police will then carry out the necessary investigations.
How YouPol Works
The YouPol app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store and the App Store. After downloading, you will need to install it on your device to start using it. You will be able to access the app either by registering with your personal details or anonymously (in case you are afraid of retaliation). In the app's home screen, you'll find a map that will geolocate your location (you'll need to turn on GPS to use YouPol) and three buttons: New Message, Messages, Emergency Calls.
New Message is used to report an act of bullying to the police headquarters. It will be possible to send a message explaining what happened and, thanks to geolocation, the Police will know where to intervene.
In the Messages section, all the reports sent to the Police and their answers are stored.
Emergency Calls allows to get in touch directly with the 113 operations room.
Where YouPol works
For the moment, YouPol is active in Rome, Milan and Catania. In February, the service will be extended to other regional capitals. To see it active in all provinces it will be necessary to wait for August.