No sphere of life is untouched by technology in today’s time. Socializing, business, education, healthcare, everything is empowered by technology in one way or the other.
Technology can be highly useful when it comes to safety and security purposes. This is why police departments all over the world are relying more and more on high-tech gadgets for providing the best possible service to the citizens.
The police department in Uttar Pradesh (UP) is also empowering itself with high end technology.
Under the modernisation plan 2013, the state government approved funds worth Rs. 30 crore for setting up GPS equipped police control rooms and vehicles in the districts of Ghaziabad, Allahabad, Kanpur and Lucknow.
The Modern Control Room
The new and ultra-modern Control Room in Gomti Nagar is equipped with state of the art technology that would help make Lucknow a safer place. It is perhaps the most hi-tech project of Lucknow Police.
With the help of latest police vans and two-wheelers, the Modern Control Room efficiently controls the Dial 100 helpline. The local police authorities have informed that the control room handles around 400-700 calls per day on an average. The reaction time of the helpline is less than 10 minutes.
How does it work?
The control room is divided into two bays. The bay in which the calls are received has fifteen lines that run simultaneously. It is run by female Civil Police personnel during the day and male personnel at night. The personnel have two computer screens in front of them. The information of the caller is entered and displayed on one screen while the other features a digital map which marks the caller’s location.
The information is transferred to the second bay where the resolutions of the callers’ problems are ordered. The complaints are divided into –normal, priority and emergency. The second bay is also responsible for dispatching the hi-tech Dial 100 vehicles.
The Dial 100 Vehicles
The patrol car and bikes feature Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), a tab exclusively designed for the city police. The MDTs come with their own data connection and camera and link the vehicle to the control room. The Lucknow Police has 75 MDTs for patrol cars and 75 MDTs for patrol bikes.
For now, the Dial 100 facility has 47 SUVs and 47 Bikes. A requisition for 38 more has been placed. The vehicles also come with a stretcher, a crime scene protection kit and other useful items.
Drone Cameras for better surveillance
Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones crew aircraft either follow a re-programmed mission or are controlled by pilots from grounds. These gadgets are capable of flying up to 600 metre in a 1 Kilometre radius. They can cost up to Rs. 6 Lac each.
Drones are already being used in various sensitive parts of Uttar Pradesh for capturing aerial images. However, soon these high tech gadgets will perform a new task in Lucknow. They will be used for controlling unruly crowds.
Five drone cameras with the capacity of lifting two kg weight have been purchased by the police. The gadgets can be used for showering pepper powder on unruly mob. Drone camera made its debut last year when it was deployed for surveillance during Muharram.
Drone cameras have helped the police in ensuring law and order at events such as Lucknow Mahotsav and Republic Day parade. In fact, the police found the surveillance cameras so effective that it decided to purchase them instead of hiring. CM Akhilesh Yadav will formally launch the drone surveillance.
Connecting Through Social Media
Recently, the Lucknow Police launched the “Citizen Police Connect Programme” which will enable people to register complaints via WhatsApp messenger. All the officers of sub-inspector rank are connected through the number 9554401501. The number can be used by people for registering complaints, reporting, suggesting or updating the police about any incident which needs their attention.
Recent initiatives
The CM has called for strict action against incidents of hidden camera in trial room. A search was conducted in malls and showrooms and 45 showrooms were given notices asking them to change the location of their cameras pointing towards the trial rooms.
The city policy has also adopted cycle patrolling which helps in patrolling streets and small alleys which were not covered otherwise. This move will help in improving the intelligence gathering.
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