'Alexa, send me a police update'

A police force is using the Amazon Alexa app to stream daily crime briefings directly to people’s homes.

Customers can use the voice-activated app to receive the latest news and information hourly from Lancashire Constabulary, including images of wanted and missing people.

The information is streamed directly to the app as it is read out, giving users the option of looking at the app to see visual content.

The project is the brainchild of Pc Rob Flanagan, Lancashire Constabulary's innovations manager, who has worked with developers from Amazon to bring the idea to life.

The force said it was the first in the UK to use smart speaker technology to engage with the community.

Mr Flanagan said: "As a police force we are always looking at ways to engage with our communities.

"Alexa works alongside traditional policing methods to inform the public about the important issues in their neighbourhoods.

"Voice-activated searches now account for 10 per cent of online searches and are expected to rise to 50 per cent by 2020.

"We want to be at the forefront of this new technology to make it easier for the public to access the information they want to know."

The Alexa launch coincides with a recruitment drive in the county which will see around 200 new police officers sworn in to front line policing duties in 2018/19.

Pc Flanagan added: "It is still very much in its infancy but we are looking forward to exploring the ways in which we can use this technology in the communities we serve."

The Alexa is a cloud-based voice service which can be used to make calls, set alarms, read the news, and even order a pizza, via a compatible speaker system.

The app was released in 2014 and originally worked  solely with Amazon's Echo speaker but the company has since integrated it with devices from thermostats to cars, to security systems, and it has become a rival to Apple's Siri and Google Assistant.