City Cops Get Tech Savvy to Curb Crime

VISAKHAPATNAM: Vexed with public nuisance in your area? Witnessed any crime or violation of traffic rules? Found any evidence against illegal issues? Well, now you are just one text message away from reporting the issue and putting an end to such things.

In a bid to encourage citizens to be more ‘socially responsible’ and bring crimes to light, the city police are launching a social group using social messaging service WhatsApp, where people can text or take a picture/video of any crime they happen to witness and forward the same to the police. And the best part of this initiative is that people need not even visit the police station or court despite being a witness.

‘Eagle Eyes, the new WhatsApp group, will be launched by the city police on Oct 2 on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. Any citizen from the city can be a member of the group and forward their complaint. It may be a photograph, video-clip, text, voice-message or anything that acts as evidence, and the cops would reach the spot within 15 minutes.

“Crimes and public nuisance incidents are increasing in the city by the day. And the gap between the public and the police is widening. This initiative is badly needed in these circumstances,” said Deputy commissioner of police M Sreenivas Thursday. A special team will be inspecting the status of the group round-the-clock.

Apart from the WhatsApp group for the public, another WhatsApp group will be maintained for SIs, CIs, ACPs and other officers. The special team will share the uploaded data with the respective teams to perform emergency operations. Vizagites can use this group to report any issue including public drinking, kidnaps, fire accidents, thefts, robbery, or disputes by uploading the evidence pertaining to the crime.

“We want to encourage people to participate in policing to prevent crimes. Hence, those who are sending such evidence will not be troubled any further to become a witness,” the DCP assured. Instead, the cops will select socially responsible citizens and felicitate the top-three persons every month in appreciation of their efforts in helping the police prevent crime.

DCP M Sreenivas also stressed that the nuisance cases at liquor shops in the city will be dealt with seriously and warned people against consuming alcohol on the road or outside the wine shop. He urged the people to use ‘Eagle Eyes’ to bring to the notice of the police instances such as liquor being sold from backdoors during restricted timings and the like, among others.

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