Hong Kong police hand out Bluetooth tracking devices to help locate vulnerable seniors, dementia patients
- Project Pinpoint follows pilot scheme last year to provide Bluetooth positioning devices to help families in need locate elderly relatives, such as dementia patients
- Beneficiaries can be referred by social welfare organisations and will receive smart positioning devices providing real-time updates on elderly relative’s location
Hong Kong police have launched a project to distribute smart positioning devices to families to help locate elderly members, such as those with dementia, who frequently go missing.
Originally a pilot scheme introduced by the force’s Regional Missing Persons Unit Kowloon East last April, Project Pinpoint is expected to spread citywide this year.
The initiative aims to help locate missing elderly and disabled residents, as well as assist dementia patients and those receiving services from social welfare organisations.
As part of the initiative, the force has bought Bluetooth tracking devices such as Tile Pro, Samsung Galaxy Smart Tags and Apple’s AirTags at a price of around HK$200 (US$25) each. The devices will then be distributed to families in need for free and paired with smartphones to track the vulnerable person’s location in real time.
Fu Chun-yip, chief inspector of Kowloon East Headquarters’ operations wing, on Saturday said the small devices had a large area coverage and low power consumption, with 200 having been given out to families in need as of December last year.