Haryana Police launches software to digitise criminal records

The Haryana Police has launched a new software application, named Police Artificial Intelligence System (PAIS), which will allow the police to digitise and centralise

The Haryana Police has launched a new software application, named Police Artificial Intelligence System (PAIS), which will allow the police to digitise and centralise all criminal records and quickly match the details of a suspect with a centralised database during an investigation.

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According to the police, PAIS is an advanced artificial intelligence-enabled software technology to identify any criminal uniquely with the help of facial recognition and textual search. This technology will be made available to police officials of the state through both mobile and web-based applications.

The application has been developed by the Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC), which was set up in 2016 in the Traffic Tower in Sushant Lok-1 to promote digital investigation and training in a bid to enhance cyber policing and monitor social media content, said the police.

Anil Rao, the additional director-general of police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said that they have launched the PAIS application to support police personnel during field investigation via innovative features, such as gang analysis, phonetic and textual searches and more. “The application has advanced features, such as facial recognition. The mobile application will receive information about criminals from the central database on a real-time basis. It will also create an online dossier that will help in police investigation and apprehension of criminals,” he said.

Rao said the server for the application has been installed at the command centre of the DITAC. Although the software is ready, the final testing part, known as VAPT or vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, and the training ton how to use the software is still pending.

The software has a centralised data bank of criminals, miscreants and history-sheeters that will help the police to nab the proclaimed offenders and bail jumpers, said officials.

Each district will train one team, which will further train others. Following the period of training, each police officer will gain access to the PAIS software either through desktops or through mobile phones. Police officials using this software for registration of criminals or for search will be required to log in via a unique password, said the police.

Rao said the OTP-based authentication process for profiling or searching criminals will ensure maximum security. “This app will provide matching details from the centralised criminal database within seconds, offering far more accuracy than any other existing criminal recognition system,” he said.

Officials said police officials will no longer need to physically go through the register to trace the criminal history of a suspect. This will make the entire process of criminal recognition and registration seamless and digital.

Rao said with the help of the application, a police officer can take a photo of a suspect from his camera and upload the same on the application. The application will then search the database and instantly display the name and details of the suspect if matching records are found. In case matching records are not found, the application will then redirect to a criminal information page, where the officer concerned will be able to add the details.

KK Rao, commissioner of police, said the criminal record officer underwent training for a day and will train others regarding the functions of application. “The application will be fully operational within a month and the process of collecting the criminal records has already started. The application will be particularly helpful in Gurugram, which has a high density of population,” he said.

This is not the first time that an advanced criminal recognition system has been used. Earlier in 2018, the Punjab Police had launched a similar PAIS application and have successfully nabbed several criminals with its help.

BOX:

What is a PAIS application?

PAIS or Police Artificial Intelligence System is an AI-enabled software technology compatible with both desktops and mobile phones that enable police officers to recognise criminals through facial recognition and textual search.

Features in PAIS

1. Criminal record creation and search module development via mobile phones and web dashboards

2. AI-enabled facial recognition technology

3. AI-powered criminal link analysis

4. AI-powered phonetic search

5. Textual search option

6. AI-powered automated data quality check

7. Offline data addition module

8. Mobile application for data creation and search for police officers working on the field

9. Web dashboard for criminal database monitoring, admin control, access management, report generation, analytics, user activity monitoring on app, etc.