THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police department has decided to geofence repeat offenders in a bid to keep organised crime rackets under control as conventional policing is expected to take a backseat in the post-lockdown period.
Geofencing of serial offenders was one of the ideas proposed by state police chief Loknath Behera through the recently launched Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19 times.
Geofencing refers to the setting up of a virtual fence around a location or person. If a person with criminal antecedents breaches the fence, it will trigger an alert in the form of a text message or mail. This will help the law enforcement agencies know that the person under surveillance has shifted his location.
The cops can fix the radius of the fence to their liking and keep a real-time watch on the suspects.
Behera said they are using technology to fight criminal elements as their acts could create panic and fear among people during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he declined to elaborate on the technology to be used for geo-fencing citing that it could compromise the idea.
"All I can say is that we will be using special software to do the job," he said.
Meanwhile, sources said apps or software will be installed in the devices used by habitual offenders and those reluctant to do so will be arm-twisted to take part in the exercise. However, the exercise always entails the risk of data breach and human rights violations. A senior official told The New Indian Express that the project is still in its infancy but enough precautions will be taken to ensure that it's used for the purpose for which it is created.
Regarding data breaches, the police seem to have learnt a lesson from the leak that occurred in the mobile app used by police in Kannur and Kasaragod. The apps used in those districts were built by private firms. In this context, it has been decided that geofencing software for police will be created by Cyberdome -- the technical research and development wing of the police.