P.E.I. offers device to connect victims with help faster

Device can be worn around neck, offers another level of security

Image | Safety device

Caption: The device is small and compact, about five centimetres long and three centimetres wide. (Stephanie Kelly/CBC)

The province is introducing a new way to help victims of crime feel safer.
It's offering mobile electronic devices that let people contact emergency services with the push of a button. The device, about five centimetres long and three centimetres wide, is small enough to be worn around your neck.

Image | Shawn Arbing

Caption: Shawn Arbing said the device is especially useful for people who don't have a cell phone. (Stephanie Kelly/CBC)

The idea is that victims, including those of domestic abuse, know they can get help anytime and anywhere, said Shawn Arbing, the electronic supervision coordinator for P.E.I.
"If a victim doesn't have a cell phone, and Victims Services feel that they do need another level of security, we can give the device to the victim and it has a direct call to our monitoring centre, so that the victim can have another level of security," he said.