THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The efforts of the state police to set up Dubai model smart police stations in the state is nearing fruition. If the things go as planned, the smart stations would come up by May in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam cities.
These smart stations would be kiosks where complainants can interact and register their complaints with the officers virtually. In the initial phase,the kiosks will support four languages- Malayalam, Hindi, English and Tamil. Two more languages will be added later. The station would allow the public avail most of the services offered by a conventional police station without having to visit it and wait for their turns. Sources said the stations can offer 14 services. The technical support for the project has been provided by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) and a Dubai-based tech firm that powers the Dubai police stations.
The C-DAC had recently constructed a smart post office in Bengaluru and that technology will be used to set up smart stations in Kerala. State Police Chief Loknath Behera said the smart police station plan was conceived with an intention of making the state police force the best in the country. “We are working on the project and hope to unveil it within three- four months,” he added. Source said the stations will promote paperless and zero personnel policing.
“The stand out feature will be that the stations will be paperless and zero people are required on the ground to run the facility,” he said. Since the kiosks are virtually commanded, the senior officers felt that women will find it more convenient to register their complaints regarding eve-teasing, abuse etc. “Lot of women are still reluctant to go to the stations as they feel uncomfortable to narrate their ordeal to the officers directly. When the smart stations are ready, they can come and mention their complaint in the virtual space. It will be addressed,” said a senior officer