SAFETY is a top priority for women night and day as a new app is released by Hereford police.

After the murder of 20-year-old Gloucester hairdresser Hollie Gazzard, who was stabbed by ex-partner Asher Maslin at the salon where she worked in 2014, the Hollie Guard app was put in place to keep people safe.

With clubs reopened and lockdown eased there are more opportunities for people to go out to see friends and family, West Mercia police are advocating for the app, urging women to download it.

The Hollie Guard App can track a person's location on any journey be that walking, jogging, or cycling, and even when going about day-to-day business.

With a shake or tap your phone will activate the app immediately notifying your chosen contacts, pinpointing your location, and sending audio and video evidence directly to their mobile phones.

The app can be download for free via app stores on your mobile phone, once registered it can be used straight away. Find more info here: youtube

As stated on the Hollie Guard website: "Hollie Guard is a next generation smartphone app that provides enhanced levels of protection.

"Hollie Guard has you covered, whether you're working alone, travelling to an unknown area or simply commuting around town.

"With Hollie Guard, you can set extra levels of protection from right inside the App."

The app offers two types of modes: Deterrent and Stealth.

Deterrent mode is to make it clear to anyone in your surrounding area that an alert has been raised and to reduce the risk of an attack.

Stealth mode is allowing you to raise an alert silently while displaying a default home screen that would look inconspicuous to the attacker, thereby giving the impression that no alarm has been triggered.

There is also a journey feature that allows you to set your start and end destinations before setting off.