UK bank TSB is offering customers who are fleeing or experiencing abuse free access to personal safety app Hollie Guard Extra for a year.
Hollie Guard Extra, the paid-for version of the free Hollie Guard app, costs £7.99 a month and transforms an everyday smart phone into a personal safety device.
With a tap or shake of the device, the user can send alerts to chosen emergency contacts, including the police, and a 24/7 monitoring centre. The app allows for a user’s location to be shared every five seconds, alongside audio and video recordings to help keep people safe in a vulnerable or potentially dangerous situation.
TSB customers can now download the app and add a unique activation code for free access. Anyone wishing to claim can discuss their situation in branch, over the phone or via video banking.
Downloaded by more almost 500,000 people in the UK, Hollie Guard Extra is used by police forces across the country and has led to numerous arrests.
TSB has added the free Hollie Guard Extra access to its existing domestic abuse support, which includes its Emergency Flee Fund which provides up to £500 to help customers escape an abuser, and in-branch and online safe spaces.
Minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, Jess Phillips MP, says: "TSB’s initiative shows how businesses can take action to prioritise their customers' safety and help deliver the whole-society approach needed to create lasting change in our fight against violence and abuse."