Pimpri Chinchwad tops India in Dial 112 response time, says CM Fadnavis

The CCTV network and Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) were also launched to improve traffic monitoring and enforcement against violations

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the Pimpri Chinchwad police had reduced their response time to emergency calls received through Dial 112 to just three minutes, making the commissionerate the fastest in the country in responding to distress calls.

The chief minister inaugurated several projects aimed at modernising the Pimpri Chinchwad police force. (HT)

Speaking at an event at the G D Madgulkar auditorium, where he inaugurated the Integrated Command and Control Centre and several technology-driven policing initiatives, Fadnavis said Maharashtra ranked first nationally in Dial 112 response time, with Pimpri Chinchwad leading among police commissionerates in the state.

“Modern technology is necessary to keep cities safe. With Dial 112, the police response time has come down to three minutes. The Pimpri Chinchwad police headquarters ranks first in the state in this regard. Police are responding immediately to crimes, and digital records of these actions are now available,” Fadnavis said. “Maharashtra ranks first nationally in Dial 112 response time, and Pimpri Chinchwad tops in Maharashtra. So, we can say that Pimpri Chinchwad tops in the country.”

The CCTV network and Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) were also launched to improve traffic monitoring and enforcement against violations.

The government handed over land records for the proposed independent police headquarters at Tathawade, while the foundation stone was laid for a police complex at Pimpri. The complex will house the Pimpri police station, the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s Zone 1 office, a regional office of the anti-narcotics task force and 200 residential units for police personnel.

Fadnavis said the CCTV network was helping police monitor traffic and control crime. Artificial intelligence (AI), he added, could help investigators overcome human limitations and improve the quality of investigations.

Referring to the AI-based ‘Tapaas Sarathi’ system, he said it would use blockchain technology to support the investigation process, from registration of a case to filing of a chargesheet in court.

He added that body-worn cameras would enhance the safety of police personnel while enabling the command and control centre to access information related to investigations. The technology could also help reduce traffic-related complaints.

Fadnavis said the Pimpri Chinchwad police commissionerate had made progress in a short period but would face bigger policing challenges as the region’s population was expected to exceed Pune’s in the next 15 years. He urged the force to prepare for this expansion by adopting modern technology and strengthening crime prevention.

The chief minister also stressed the need to make Maharashtra drug-free, beginning at the household and neighbourhood levels and extending to villages, districts and the state, to protect the younger generation.

He said a modern police headquarters was being developed for Pimpri Chinchwad and that the design of the new commissionerate building had been prepared with the personal involvement of late deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. He expressed confidence that it would be among the most modern police commissionerate buildings in the country.

Fadnavis added that 50 acres had been allotted for the police headquarters and that modern residential facilities were also being developed for police officers and their families. The government was moving away from conventional housing designs to provide police personnel with homes equipped with better facilities, he said.

Deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Ajit Pawar, ministers Chandrakant Patil, Yogesh Kadam and Madhuri Misal, MP Shrirang Barne, Pimpri Chinchwad mayor Ravi Landge, Pune mayor Manjusha Nagpure and police commissioner Vinay Kumar Choubey were present.