News

UK company brings community service to kiosks

November 19, 2002

LONDON -- The National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH) Web site, which includes the free telephone numbers of both NMPH and Message Home Helpline, will soon be accessible via kiosks called i-plus, situated on high streets across Britain.

According to a news release, the i-plus kiosks are situated in the areas of cities where there is peak pedestrian flow, for example next to bus stops and outside rail and bus stations. The touch-screen kiosks allow users to access information within an anonymous environment.

It is hoped that vulnerable missing people, such as young runaways, will use the free Internet points to find out more about the services NMPH provides, send free emails reassuring relatives of their safety and contact NMPH if they need help, according to the release.

The first i-plus kiosk featuring the NMPH Web site will be in the borough of Westminster, London beginning Nov. 20. Over the next eight weeks, the NMPH site will be accessible on about 150 i-plus kiosks around the UK, which are provided by Cityspace.

According to Cityspace's Patrick McGuirk, his company operates i-points in partnership with local authorities and municipalities, including the London boroughs of Richmond, Bromley, Sutton, Westminster, Lambeth, Southwark and Islington.

McGuirk said that including NMPH and other community-oriented information on kiosks is an opportunity "to broaden the role of local government and show that it's not just about collecting parking fines."

The anonymous nature of the kiosks is particularly useful for audiences such as runaways, who likely do not have Internet access or would be nervous using it to obtain information, McGuirk said.

Janet Newman, NMPH co-founder, said in the release, "We hope that the ease of access to these i-plus kiosks will mean that vulnerable people will call us if they need help, so they spend less time on the streets. NMPH can help people get to a place of safety or pass on a message to their family on their behalf. The beauty of these kiosks is that they are anonymous and free."

The UK's National Missing Persons Helpline charity was established in 1992 and is dedicated to helping missing people, their families and those who care for them. NMPH receives no government funding and relies solely on donations.