Staffordshire 'grot spots' targeted with smartphone app
A new app allows people in Staffordshire to nominate "grot spots" for criminals to clean up.
The smartphone program was developed by Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust after winning funding in an Ordnance Survey (OS) competition.
Users send a picture of a place that needs attention and the app geo-tags it so probation can pinpoint the location.
It then notifies them once the work is complete. The trust won OS's GeoVation challenge competition in 2012.
Team spokesman Jason Davies said: "This app is free and it's easy to use. We hope it will make the public feel more engaged in decision-making and make the punishment and rehabilitation of offenders more visible and meaningful to people in their communities."