BlackBerry users are now equipped with a new addition to the app family. The Child Abuse Reporting System (CARS) is a smartphone application that allows for the reporting of child abuse to the Office of The Children's Registry (OCR).

According to reports, CARS has been approved by Research In Motion (RIM), and is currently being featured in its BlackBerry App World.

RIM, the makers of Blackberry smartphones, has featured the app on its 'Carousel', where the company features innovative, high-ranked applications across the world.

CARS is the second app of its kind in the world and the first in the region. It is also the first app of its kind to be approved by Research In Motion, for listing in Blackberry App World.

Advocacy group, Help JA Children, led the development process for the application.

Brandon Allwood, the group's chief advocate, says the application's recognition by RIM is important as the group seeks to get more people to download CARS.

Registrar at the OCR, Greig Smith, according to reports, is also applauding the gesture and has commended the BlackBerry team for recognising the relevance of CARS.

According to Smith, "the fact that CARS will be one of the featured applications in BlackBerry App World is a testament of the significant role that technology can play in ensuring fast and convenient submission of child abuse reports to the OCR."

CARS is only available for Blackberry smartphones at the moment.

CARS, which is free, may be downloaded from the BlackBerry App World and from the OCR website and is one of five innovative ways of submitting a report to the registry.

CARS user friendly mechanism allows users to submit reports anonymously, and the information entered is not stored anywhere on the phone.