HYDERABAD: Making the best use of available technology, the city police on Tuesday launched a software-based video conferencing facility for the police personnel. This will enable senior officers to directly supervise field staff via their internet enabled smartphones and the video conferencing software.
The technology is supported by National Informatics Centre. Telangana Director General of Police Anurag Sharma launched the new initiative from the Hyderabad Police Commissioner’s office which is now linked with as many as 145 locations in the city including all senior officers, 5 zonal DCPs, 60 law and order police stations, 17 sub-divisions, traffic police stations, Central Crime Station, Special Branch, Task Force, City Armed Reserve, home guards, City Security Wing and training institutes.
“All Station House Officers (SHOs) in the State have iPads with them. Once this pilot project taken up by the city police becomes successful, we can extend the same initiative across the State. It will be an useful arrangement in crime scenes and law and order situations,” said DGP Anurag Sharma.
Explaining the technology, Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahendar Reddy said that a regular computer with camera placed in an office would not be required anymore for video conferencing as now a constable can use even his smartphone to video conference with superiors from the field.
“A number of groups can simultaneously do video conferencing and DCPs, ACPs or inspectors can have their own closed groups. There is no scope for distortion of facts for the commissioner or any senior officer can do an open broadcast to all staff on any issue,” said Mahendar.