Soon, paper could be a thing of the past in police communications

The Mumbai police is in the process of a major overhaul, with plans to make its internal communication systems paperless. The first phase of the transition will begin with the training of part of the 50,000 strong police force, who will be taught to conduct internal communications without using paper.

The Mumbai police is in the process of a major overhaul, with plans to make its internal communication systems paperless. The first phase of the transition will begin with the training of part of the 50,000 strong police force, who will be taught to conduct internal communications without using paper.

“The project will start with the 93 police stations of the Mumbai police being connected with the headquarters online, for the purpose of internal communications,” said joint commissioner of police (law and order) Deven Bharti.

At present, almost every communication between officials is recorded on paper, which not only takes additional manpower but also makes the process cumbersome.

It is also seen that officers at various police stations, while trying to solve a case, have to physically pass on information. With internal communications being put on a web-based platform, exchange of information will be seamless and communication will become faster, police sources said.

Apart from that, there have been instances when police headquarters have found it tough to locate important communications that were made on paper. The web-based platform will ensure that such communications can be easily revisited.

Correspondence on a day-to-day basis between the headquarters and officers at different police stations – or between senior rung police officers – include reports of FIRs being registered, reports of non-cognisable reports, inquiry reports, and intelligence reports, among others.

It will also prove to be a boon for the modus operandi bureau (MOB) which maintains a database of criminals. A senior police officer said, “There can be situations where an area might require additional officers, and this can be communicated with the top brass immediately, without delay. This will act as a force multiplier.”

Once the first phase is implemented, the Mumbai police will focus on making a variety of permissions available to citizens through the web. A host of services, including passport verification, permissions for loudspeakers, hotels, theatres, arms, among others, will be made available to Mumbaiites online.

“This will remove the cumbersome method where one has to physically visit the police station for
permissions. It will also ensure the force does not have to deploy additional officers for these activities,” said a police officer. While online complaints are currently entertained by the Mumbai police, the new system will have an effective interface on which users can register their complaints.