Police are today launching a website that will allow the general public to provide an access of information to the police in the event of a terror attack, major disaster or high profile incident. 

The Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) will allow people to send reports, images and video footage directly to the police casualty bureau and major incident teams. Assistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan, Major Crime and Public Protection, commented:

“The portal is a quick and easy way for the public to submit information that could be vital in a major incident."

“It can also be used if there’s an incident that involves mass casualties and you want to report a person missing who you believe is involved."

Before MIPP, a dedicated call centre would be set up at the early stages of a major incident to process information. If witnesses wanted to send video footage to the police, it would either be done by calling 101 or using a contact form where an officer would be sent out to retrieve it. Assistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan added:

“MIPP can be activated in a much shorter space of time and information can be gathered while police resources are still being deployed."

“It’s simple to use and will hopefully help us to do our job quicker by having as much information at our disposal as possible to deal with any major incident efficiently.”

Police Scotland recently tested the functionality of MIPP when appealing to the public for information, regarding the death of Emma Faulds in Ayrshire and the Shona Stevens homicide inquiry in North Ayrshire.

The Major Incident Support and Co-ordination Unit was set up in September 2018 to act as a central department that would provide a single point of contact for police officers.

The unit will now act as a gatekeeper for how Police Scotland officers use MIPP and tailor the forms to each individual inquiry.