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Graduate and police tangle over websites

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A Dundee graduate who helped set up a new website to improve relations between the public and the police has had the name pinched — by the boys in blue.

Lauren Currie (23) graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone Art College, part of Dundee University, with a masters in design last year.

That summer, she and business co-founder Sarah Drummond created the website My Police, which aims to improve police performance by creating an open dialogue between the authorities and the people they serve.

All complaints against the police must be directed to forces themselves in the first instance, something Ms Currie said puts many people off from making any form of criticism, no matter how constructive.

Police forces around the country have discussed taking part in the project and although it is not officially due to launch until Easter, a website explaining the concept was already up and running by the end of last year.

However, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC) announced last week it was launching its own website with the same name and near identical web address: www.mypolice.org.uk.

Its site allows people to search for the performance of each police force in England and Wales.

HMIC also bought up similar addresses such as mypolice.co.uk and Miss Currie said it is unthinkable that they did not know that her website existed.

And, according to a report written by the chief executive of West Midlands Police published on February 18, the HMIC had not even settled on a final name for their site last month, although My Police was noted as the most likely option.

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘bullying’ but it seems that because they’re big and we’re small, because they’re rich and we’re poor, then their attitude is ‘who’s going to change?” Miss Currie said yesterday.

“Although the products are not the same, the names are very similar.”

She added, “We’ve been running since last summer and what we do is provide online feedback from the public and the police but we are completely independent and a completely neutral space.

“The existing complaints procedures don’t work because they are run by either the police or the government so people don’t think they are entirely honest.

“We’ve been in discussions with police about it every single step of the way and were just about to launch trials — a closed part in Strathclyde and an open one in the West Midlands.

“We had registered mypolice.org and then last Monday got an email from HMIC saying they were launching a website called mypolice.org.uk and could we discuss it.”

Online support for the original My Police has been overwhelming and Miss Currie said they would not back down.

She added, “Just last week we were invited to speak to forces in Kent and Wales about it so the police knew all about it. Police forces were so excited about it.”

The HMIC is also refusing to change the name of its website and the two parties are still in a stand-off.

A spokesman said, “We spoke with the owners of www.mypolice.org, and it is clear that we offer very different online products.

“Both however aim to improve engagement between the public and their police, and this is to be applauded.”

You can follow the story on Lauren’s My Police Twitter.