Overview
Alt Labs worked with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Cleveland and Cleveland Police to design and develop COPA, a UK-first app created to improve communication between local communities, the PCC, and the police.
The app gives people across Teesside a simple way to raise concerns, report antisocial behaviour, share information about suspicious activity, provide feedback on policing, and find relevant support services.
COPA was launched on iOS and Android in September 2022 and received more than 2,000 downloads within its first three months. By 2023, that figure had risen to more than 7,500.
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The Brief
The Police and Crime Commissioner wanted to give people across Teesside another way to raise local concerns and communicate with Cleveland Police.
The app needed to make it easier for residents to report issues such as antisocial behaviour, vehicle nuisance, and suspicious activity, while also helping them find the correct route for reporting crimes and emergencies.
Because information submitted through COPA would not automatically trigger a police response, clear signposting was essential. Users needed to understand which issues could be raised through the app and when they should instead contact Cleveland Police, use an online reporting service, call 101, or dial 999.
Our Solution
Alt Labs designed and developed COPA as a single, accessible point of contact for residents across Teesside.
The app allows users to raise concerns, submit information, provide feedback on police performance, and access details of local support services. It also directs users to the correct police channels where an incident requires a formal crime report or an immediate response.
By bringing these routes together, COPA made it easier for users to understand where to go, what information to provide, and how their concern should be handled.
"It has been great to work with Alt Labs on developing a solution that best meets the needs of people in Cleveland. Their approach started with the problems we were trying to solve - namely widening the options for people to communicate with me and Cleveland Police - and working on what features we needed to solve them. As the project matured and developed, they kept us up-to-date with their progress and worked efficiently to meet our deadlines. We now have a product to be proud of and which I'm having national conversations about replicating."
Our Approach
Alt Labs worked closely with the PCC team throughout the design and development process.
The app needed to:
- Give residents a direct route to PCC and Cleveland Police
- Reduce avoidable non-emergency calls through clearer guidance
- Improve intelligence around community concerns
- Provide a simple, accessible user experience
- Use clear icons and plain language
- Integrate securely with existing data-handling systems
The project began with user pathways and low-fidelity prototypes, allowing the team to test the structure of the app before progressing into detailed interface design. High-fidelity prototypes were then developed and tested with beta groups across both iOS and Android.
Security and accessibility were considered at every stage. The development team focused on creating a clear and intuitive interface, using a combination of icons and text to help users move through the app without unnecessary complexity.
The technical build also needed to work alongside existing data-handling processes, ensuring that information was collected, stored, and managed securely.
Results
COPA launched in September 2022 and received more than 2,000 downloads across iOS and Android within its first three months.
During that period, 55.1% of the issues raised through the app related to antisocial behaviour and vehicle nuisance. Many users also used COPA to access the correct route for reporting a crime through Cleveland Police’s website or emergency contact options.
By 2023, the app had been downloaded more than 7,500 times.
COPA also developed beyond its original role as a community reporting tool. Information submitted through the app contributed to successful prosecutions by supporting the collection and organisation of evidence for legal cases.
The project was delivered within budget and met each of the objectives set by the PCC and Cleveland Police. It remains an example of how digital services can improve communication between public bodies and the communities they serve.
Reflecting on the project, the client described COPA as a first-of-its-kind app that continues to lead the way in community relations with local police forces, praising Alt Labs’ practical and forward-thinking approach to its development.
