Smartphone app lets partygoers summon security guards within minutes REVELLERS who land themselves in dangerous situations will soon have an on-call security force at the touch of a button. Australia-wide security firm SECUREcorp will begin trialling a smartphone app that lets its user send out a distress signal when they encounter trouble on a night out. SECUREcorp joint managing director Craig Harwood said the smartphone user would be charged $250 for the mobile security patrol to respond to the alarm in minutes. "What it is, is an intermediary response where they don't want law enforcement involvement but they want a physical presence there," Mr Harwood said. It's like a personal alarm system. The security response button is one function of the Party Survival Guide app, which is designed to help people safely plan events. There are also functions for calling a taxi or 000. Is the app a good idea? Former police officer and Safe Partying Australia founder Naomi Oakley, who is developing the app, said while it was primarily aimed at teenage parties and school-leavers, it had wider applications. She said it would also appeal to people in need of help but who didn't want to involve the law: "A teenager that's had too much to drink or they've taken a pill . . . not everyone wants the police to be involved." When asked if the unarmed patrols could perform citizens' arrests, Mr Harwood replied: "We only have the same power as a citizen." But Police Association secretary Greg Davies said the security patrols would be out of their depth. "I'm always concerned at second-tier policing arrangements that try and sell themselves as doing the job of police," Sen. Sgt Davies said. Victoria Police, Police Minister Kim Wells and Lord Mayor Robert Doyle echoed his sentiments. If you need to press a duress button, you need police, not private security. Ring 000," Mr Doyle said. Crime victims advocate Noel McNamara said he was concerned it would result in "vigilante-style" justice. But Mr Harwood said the security teams were there to defuse volatile situations, not to replace police. That's not our role. Let's make that quite clear," he said. If there's further criminal activity there, then it's a matter for the police, and that's how we would view it. The app is due to launch in August.