Above: Kingston (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

As Jamaica continues to work to tackle its severe crime problem, the country’s government is looking to a new tool: mobile phones.

In the next few months, the government will be launching a new app for Android smart phones that will allow citizens to report crimes or send information to police anonymously.

It will be similar to the country’s existing Ananda Alert programme, which sends alerts in the event that children are abducted or kidnapped.

The app, which will be launched in the first quarter of this fiscal year, will also offer a “panic button” option to alert the police of crimes.

It’s part of a group of programmes under the Ministry of National Security’s United for Change project, the government said.

Jamaica’s crime rate is among the highest in the Caribbean region.

The government did not announce whether the app would eventually be available for iPhone or Windows phone users.