Toronto police have unveiled a new mobile application they say will allow members of the public to file police reports on their smartphones and get up to date information on matters of public safety.

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday morning, Supt. Hugh Ferguson explained exactly what the service’s app can do.

One big feature, Ferguson said, is the community safety alerts function.

“We have the ability, through the operations centre, to put out community safety alerts as a push notification whenever there is a major event in the city,” Ferguson added.

“Much like to you can do on Twitter, this one will be directly to app users.”

The application also contains information about where to find police stations, where to find collision reporting centres, and how to contact neighbourhood officers.

Ferguson was quick to point out that the app is not meant to replace a phone call to 911 in the event of an emergency.

The app was built by Mobile PD, a company that specializes in law enforcement applications.