COIMBATORE: The city police have decided to geo-tag Vinayakar idols that will be installed in public places during the upcoming Vinayakar Chathurti festival and upload their status through the Smart Kavalar app to ensure real-time monitoring.
Last year, 530 idols were placed within the city. Since the city police limits have expanded with the addition of Vadavalli and Thudiyalur stations, this year the number of idols is expected to be 600, sources said.
On Monday, Commissioner of Police V Balakrishnan held a meeting with leaders of various organisations about the arrangements for the festival. “The district administration and police have already issued a set of guidelines for the organisers who put up pandals. We had discussions with leaders of religious organisations to support the arrangements and to prevent untoward incidents.
We have been working to avoid communal issues during the celebrations,” Balakrishnan said. “There will be a slight change in the number of places where idol installation would be allowed. We would tighten security and geo-tagging is one of them,” he said.
Explaining the geo-tagging process, Balakrishnan said, “Once we tag the location where the idol is placed, personnel from the concerned police station limit will patrol the area frequently, especially at night. Once the personnel reach the spot, they will update the status in the Smart Kavalar App. It ensures real-time updates.”
The State Crime Records Bureau introduced the electronic beat system in November last year. Using the Smart Kavalar app, police can record and track details of beats and other field policing, enabling officers to monitor the work of police personnel in the allotted areas. Locations of frequent crime spots, Tasmac shops, houses of suspects, and home-alone senior citizens among others are usually geo-tagged in the app. Personnel who go for a beat patrol check the locations and update the situation in the application, along with a photograph. In February, the city police started geo-tagging the location of sandal trees to prevent smuggling bids.