More than 400 Bogota taxis had “panic buttons” installed as a measure to prevent crime in Colombia’s capital, the city’s government secretary confirmed Monday.
The installation of the panic buttons aims to reduce the number of robberies faced by both taxi drivers and users.
Government Secretary Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, responsible for public security, told Caracol Radio that the taxi drivers will be serving as the “guardian angels” of Colombia’s capital.
“It is possible to activate a panic button and immediately not only connect to the taxi central but at the same time with the national police,” said Jaramillo.
This technology, which initially has been installed in 480 public transport vehicles, will allow the users to call the police if they need to.
In addition to the “panic button,” users of this kind of vehicle can install the application “Digital Plus” on their smartphones. This application will allow them to attain information about the vehicle, the driver and also the taxi’s travel route.
Last week, Bogota taxi drivers had taken the law in their own hands and formed self-defense groups, as a response to an alleged lack of police attention.
MORE: Bogota taxi drivers give up on police, take law into their own hands
Sources
- Instalan botones de ‘pánico’ para evitar atracos de taxistas y pasajeros (Caracol Radio)
- Taxistas de Bogotá tendrán ‘botón’ de pánico contra la delincuencia (El Espectador)
