Mobile operator Vodafone has signed a memorandum with the National Police of Ukraine, which will provide law enforcement officers with access to the Telescope SMS platform. Thanks to this tool, information about missing children will be instantly available to people closest to the scene of the incident.
The platform uses geolocation and filters based on age and other parameters to send targeted messages to those most likely to be witnesses or have useful information.
"Time plays a key role in searching for minors. The faster the information reaches potential eyewitnesses, the higher the chances of success," Vodafone Ukraine noted.
The Telescope platform, which has long been used for mass mailings, will now focus on helping to find children. Messages will be sent to subscribers who are directly in the search area. Police plan to use the system primarily in the first hours after a disappearance, when every minute is crucial.
Citizens are urged to be careful with such SMS messages. Any detail — from a description of the child's clothing to where the child was last seen — can significantly help the investigation.
Cooperation between government agencies and businesses aims to involve as many people as possible in operational searches and increase the level of safety for children in Ukraine.
