Bengaluru: In an attempt to become the spear-heads in policing by using Information Technology, the Bengaluru and the Karnataka state police are leaving no stone unturned to get ahead of other states, this time by introducing a mobile app called “First Responder” for constables who are the first responders at a crime scene.
It might be recalled that the prime minister had chosen Cubbon Park police station among the three police stations across the country to study and analyze the usage of police IT in the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems (CCTNS) project that was launched across India in 2011, that had added a feather to the police cap.
The mobile App will enhance the efficiency of policing with the first responders (constables) getting a checklist of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on their smart phones, that need to be checked without fail at the scene of the crime . The initiative will be taken up as pilot projects at selected police stations and then gradually will be incorporated in the rest of the police force throughout the state.
Launching the App at the police headquarters, Home Minister K J George said that the App, developed by Target Corporation in collaboration with Indiana University, helps the state police to train constables who are dealing with crime scene investigation. This would enhance professional training and provide step-by-step guidelines in the process of investigation.
The information recorded through the App will also provide a database to help their senior officers to examine and analyze the CSI for future reference or as a source of statistics.
Director General and Inspector General of Police Om Prakash said that the initiative demonstrate the effort of state police in implementing technology to enhance citizen safety. The App ensures easy usage and has been designed both in Kannada and English languages, he said. The App has a set of sequential guidelines or standard operating procedures (SOPs) incorporated from the Karnataka police manual which will be followed according to the type of the crimes, he added.
Tool to keep track
The First Responder App can be used as a tool to measure the efficiency of the constables by the seniors and supervisors when they monitor their juniors’ work. Experts who developed the App would monitor its usage and improvise, based on the requirement in due course, Navneet Kapoor, President and Managing Director, Target Corporation, India said.
Pilot project
Arrangements will be made for all the constables to have smart phones from the police department (if they don’t have one for them) for those who will be enrolled in the pilot
project of the First Responder App.
How the app works
- The first responders (police constables) need to register themselves on the App on their smartphones, giving basic information sought by the App.
- A login account and a password are assigned to every constable using the App.
- The account will have the list of crimes that may need to be selected when the constables reach the crime scene, e.g. Chain Snatching, House Break Theft (HBT) or a Road Accident.
- When a constable clicks on the type of crime, the SOPs come in sequential order which need to be clicked after feeding certain generic information that the App will ask for.
- The constables then have to follow all the SOPs by clicking one after the other on the checklist as and when it is followed and executed, so the details that are collected are saved in the App account as well as on a server, which comes in handy when the FIR is registered.
