The project was developed in 1993 by a police officer from Ridderkerk to help find missing persons and catch criminals with assistance of citizens.
Burgernet starts with an emergency call (for example mugging, burglary or missing person.)
Burgernet participants in the immediate environment of the crime receive a message with a call to action to look for the suspect/ missing person.
The Burgernet system enables attentive participants to report directly to the police operator.
With the information given by the participant the operator directs nearby police units to the missing or suspect person.
Participants receive e-mails related to local security issues such as recently committed burglaries.