THE States Police have begun a year-long trial of a new secure digital evidence platform that allows victims and witnesses to store legally admissible material and share it directly with officers.
The Kulpa app, developed by Jersey-based firm Kulpa Platforms and supported by Digital Jersey, launched today in a move police have said could help speed up investigations and improve outcomes in complex cases.
Islanders can use the app to upload photos, videos, chat logs, CCTV or other files and submit them when they feel ready.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hafey described the technology as “a huge step forward” in reporting crime.
“The Kulpa app can be used by victims and witnesses to provide the SOJP with immediately usable digital forensic evidence, without the police needing to seize or download their device,” he said.
“This is a huge step forward in terms of ensuring the victim or witness privacy and for improving the timelines of investigations, and bringing offenders to justice as quickly as possible.
“In most cases, we won’t need to seize victims’ phones – saving both time and cost which can be redirected to frontline policing and victim support.”
DCI Hafey stressed the platform was “an additional option for reporting crime, not a replacement,” with Islanders still able to contact police in person, by phone or online.
Kulpa has been independently certified to ensure evidence is stored securely and in a way that makes it legally admissible in court.
Hertfordshire Constabulary has already adopted the initiative after a successful pilot – with officers saying the technology had “significantly increased” the probability of a positive outcome for victims.
The app was launched in 2022 by Jersey-based entrepreneur Simon Franc, developed in collaboration with police, victim-support services and legal experts.
Mr Franc said he was inspired by his mother’s career as a forensic scientist, which shaped his understanding of both technology and the importance of evidence as a “deciding” factor in most cases.
He pointed out that “a vast majority of reported crime goes unresolved – due to an evidential difficulty, a lack of evidence or, more often, a lack of verifiable evidence.”
The entrepreneur argued that giving police immediate access to usable digital evidence would improve the chances of successful prosecutions and, in time, act as a deterrent.
He encouraged Islanders to make use of the app, saying: “You will be helping yourself, helping fellow Islanders and giving the police more time to dedicate to those for whom technology is not native or accessible.”
Tony Moretta, chief executive of Digital Jersey, said he was “delighted” to support the initiative.
“From our experience with previous island-wide initiatives, such as the COVID ALERT app and PaybyPhone, we know Jersey people are ready to embrace technology that makes a real difference to our community,” he said.
While emphasising that the app can be used for all crime types, DCI Hafey said it could be “a huge step forward” in speeding up prosecutions in cases of violence against women and girls.
A report published earlier this year showed that more than 100 rape cases remained unresolved at the end of 2024, with delays often linked to the time required to gather and process digital evidence.
“In the past 18 months, SOJP has seized over 1,000 devices in cases related to violence against women and girls. Devices nowadays can hold up to one terabyte of data – that’s the equivalent of 1,300 filing cabinets of printed text,” he said.
DCI Hafey explained that the new system could give victims of rape and sexual offences greater control by allowing them to securely document and store evidence in the cloud –meaning information remains safe even if the app is deleted.
This, he said, was especially important in situations of domestic abuse or sexual assault, where perpetrators may be monitoring or controlling a victim’s devices.
“We all know that for victims of domestic abuse, it can sometimes take 30 to 50 incidents before they come forward,” DCI Hafey added.
“Kulpa allows them to securely store evidence such as photos, messages or call logs and share it when they feel ready.”
“In the majority of cases, we are not going to be seizing victims’ phones, and that will allow people to keep hold of their contacts, photos and personal information while still giving us the evidence we need.”
The app is free to download or can be accessed online at kulpacloud.com.
WATCH: How to use the Kulpa app…
