We reviewed 240 different apps that help people and the police talk online. Most of these apps (82%) asked users to sign up or log in. Of the apps that let people report something, only 55% let you do so without giving your name. Only 10% of the apps had a privacy policy that was easy to understand.

Police apps were mainly designed to reassure, protect, and inform people. In contrast, third-party apps focused more on giving people more control.

If these apps are not designed well, people might lose trust in the police, and police work could suffer. We suggest 12 tips to help make sure new police and citizen apps are useful and well designed.

Our findings are reported in: Elphick, Camilla; et al. (2021). Building trust in digital policing: a scoping review of community policing apps. Police Practice and Research (Early Access). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2020.1861449