Indian Homeland Security News and Updates

USD 320 million proposal for Kolkata city police upgrade

Source: Times of India

The city police is gearing up for a major overhaul that would make all information available at the click of a mouse and work towards building a safe city. Linking all aspects of police work in the same frame, the city police has submitted a proposal to the Union home ministry. The project was discussed at a high-level meeting in New Delhi on January 5.

The gadget-oriented surveillance integrated project will revolutionise the entire policing system, linking some of the major areas of police work crime investigation, traffic management and communication. The Rs 1,600-crore (USD 320 million) project will be launched for a period of 10 years. Payment would be made over the 10-year period and cover maintenance and upgrade of the system.

This will be an integrated system with all components inter-connected . We are waiting for clearance from the Centre said commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti.

Sources said internationallyrenowned companies will be roped in to the software and the entire paraphernalia of the system. As part of the project, the city police will soon shift to Tetra Technology for communications . Sources said the advantage with Tetra is that it is SIMless and secure . Tetra can work where other networks and systems fail, a source said. From monitoring crime to recording traffic data, every service will be linked, creating a database.

Once a complaint is registered and a crime recorded, it will be available as data. Complaints made directly to senior officers and police stations will be available. Every arrest made will also be recorded. This will help us get information about the crime and the criminals at short notice , a senior officer explained.

Even trial of cases will be monitored through the same process. The data will help unveil the links between local criminals and terrorists coming from outside the state. Police officers are hopeful that the background of the criminal would help them get access easily. Complaints will also be made online

Sources said there is a proposal to consolidate the area traffic management scheme. Surveillance cameras will be installed at all the entry points. The technology will help us detect what is inside the car. This will be very useful in dealing with criminals and terrorists, an officer said.

Similar surveillance cameras will be installed at the parking lots as well for smooth detection of any suspicious movements. Data of foreign nationals coming to the city will also be integrated into the system.

All calls coming to Lalbazar will go through the same process. Distress calls will go through a computer-aided dispatch system. The complaint and the action taken will be recorded. At the control room, the officer will take the help of a GIS map to locate the address from where the call was made and then trace the nearest police vehicle . One or more vehicles will be diverted to the spot depending on the situation , a senior officer said. Even the number of police vehicles and where will be available.