THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Open 24 hours, seven days a week, a fully automated police station will be a reality soon in Technopark. A proposal for the fully operational digital police station which is a replica of the police station in Jumeirah, Dubai has been mooted. The smart police station is expected to become the foundation towards smart policing in the capital city. The citizen friendly station will be monitored by the Kerala Police Cyberdome which comprises police officials-in-charge for assistance. According to the Cyberdome officials, the initiative aims to reduce the difficulties people face while registering a complaint, which includes long waits and questioning sessions. It also facilitates people to be more open about their complaints without intermediaries.
The smart police station will resemble an ATM. The interactive device will be a kiosk screen where people can register their complaints by choosing the category displayed on the screen. The most attractive feature of the smart police station is that people can directly talk to the screen and the same will be recorded in the police headquarters. "Even though the smart police station is in its proposal stage, it will provide techies with a feeling of safety, especially for women workers. If women workers feel unsafe going home late night after work, they can demand security through the kiosk.
Workplace torture, blackmailing cases, cyber-bullying, emotional-verbal abuse cases can be reported and immediate action will be taken," said Reja Rahim, deputy commander, Cyberdome. There is a general apprehension and fear about police stations. The station will change such stereotypes simultaneously maintaining anonymity about people. Information will be displayed in Malayalam and other languages thereby helping migrants to make use of the system.