BT 888 phone service to protect women on the way home – how it works | BT

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BT has created an emergency phone service aimed at providing protection to women as they return home, and Home Secretary Priti Patel has approved it.

Telephone service comes after the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nyssa.

How will it work?

Users will be able to download the mobile application and enter their home address and other destinations they regularly use.

Before setting off on their trip, they’ll start the app, which will give the expected flight time and track them via the phone’s GPS. Alternatively, they can also call or text 888.

A message will be sent to them at the time they are expected to arrive home. If they fail to respond, emergency contacts will be called and then the police will be notified.

Where did the idea come from?

According to BT CEO Philip Jansen, he and his team came up with the system after Everard and Nissa’s murder filled it with “anger and disgust”.

“Just going home is making people feel anxious and in danger,” he told the Daily Mail.

BT is responsible for operating the emergency phone number 999.

What was the reaction to her?

The system was supported by Patel after Jansen contacted him. She told the Daily Mail: “This new phone line is exactly the kind of innovative scheme that would be good to start as soon as possible. I’m now looking into it with my team and reaching out to BT.”

Some activists have spoken of deferring the problem to women rather than addressing the problem of violence against women and girls and the low rate of criminal convictions.

“Women’s freedoms and rights should not be revoked to make room for more excuses for male violence,” said Women’s Trust, a charity that provides mental health support to women victims of domestic violence. Funding an app while survivors continue to be frustrated by health and criminal justice systems is not the answer. “.

Police union spokesman Phil Matthews said the order could create problems if it created more work for the police, but said the agency would not oppose anything that increases public safety.

What is the cost of the service and when can it start?

The project could cost around £50 million, according to PA Media. It could be ready to go by Christmas.

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