Lost in the bush - or at sea? Help could be a click away with NSW Police's new platform

Next time you need the police, help could be just a click away.

NSW Police have launched a new platform that enables members of the public to interact directly with police dispatchers and police responding to emergencies.

‘BluLink’ allows the public to provide police with GPS coordinates, live video streaming, digital media uploads, and text messages.

Powered by the GoodSAM platform, ‘BluLink’ is consent based and easy to use. When you call triple zero you may be sent a link on your smartphone.

The link takes you straight to the platform. It is not an app, so you don’t need to install anything beforehand.

The platform can be used to help police confirm the exact location of an emergency, and for the public to send live vision to police of incidents as they unfold.

The information will assist in the dispatch of appropriate resources by allowing police to better triage incidents, and potentially support subsequent investigations.

Pre-recorded video or photos can be uploaded to police via an attachment request, and the platform’s chat functionality enables text messaging between police and members of the public in situations where voice calls are challenging.

In one instance, police said, two teenage girls who were abducted by unknown men were able to message their location to police via ‘BluLink’, who attended and arrested the males.

These chat messages can be translated into 150 languages.

A 12-month trial of ‘BluLink’ began in February 2023 and helped with the investigation of the Bondi Junction stabbing incident earlier this year, the successful location of missing persons and rescues.

‘BluLink’ was particularly useful for rescues of people enjoying the great outdoors.

A NSW Police spokesperson said that at about 2:20 pm on 24 July, a 32-year-old man was outback country skiing on Mount Tate and contacted triple zero (000) after he lost his skis.

The man became stranded and had limited food and no overnight equipment or shelter. A ‘BluLink’ location request was sent to the man to obtain his location. Multiple rescue crews were dispatched, and the man was found at 8:46 pm and extracted.

In the Illawarra on 4 December 2023, two women, aged 72 and 76, contacted triple zero (000) after they got lost bushwalking in Dharawal State Conservation Park.

A ‘BluLink’ location request was sent to the women to obtain their location and police found the women within an hour.

On 12 July, a 14-year-old boy contacted triple zero (000) to report his kayak was sinking about 600m out to sea from Clifton.

A ‘BluLink’ location request was sent, and his GPS coordinates were received and shared with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Marine Area Command. The boy was airlifted from the water and reunited with his father on shore.

Further south, at 11:22 am on 28 January, a man called triple zero (000) after his fishing boat broke down near Montague Island. A ‘BluLink’ location request was sent and the man’s location was received. He was towed back to shore at 1:34 pm.

During the trial, the locations of more than 100 high-risk missing persons were obtained, more than 700 live videos were streamed and more than 8000 digital media files were uploaded.

Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said the launch of ‘BluLink’ further strengthened the capability of police and emergency dispatchers by giving them instant, real-time access to unfolding emergencies.

“Police rely on members of the community to accurately describe an incident, so they know what they’re dealing with and how they need to respond; ‘BluLink’ gives them unrivalled access to a scene before they’ve even arrived,” she said.

“On average, police receive more than 1500 emergency calls for assistance every day; this technology will help triage and respond to incidents more effectively than ever before.”