MADURAI: A new digital system adopted by the Superintendent of Police office to handle public grievances has helped district police to effectively handle around 4,150 petitions with 75% resolved and 25% still under enquiry.
The SP, B K Arvind, in collaboration with a private firm, developed ‘Pothumakkal Manukkal Kuraitheerpu Thittam’, a software which has been used by rural police since January. When a petitioner approaches with a grievance, the district police office (DPO) will upload the petition details (such as petition copy and supportive documents) along with his remarks, such as whether an inquiry is held by an inspector or a spot inquiry is necessary to the portal and that will be accessible to both the concerned police station officials and the deputy SP.
The petitioners are also given an acknowledgement receipt and contact number for clarification. Arvind said that this system eliminates the previous delay where officers had to manually collect petitions from the DPO, which often took a day or two. However, now the police stations can immediately access the petition and begin the enquiry. The investigation officer’s report will also be uploaded to the portal, allowing him to monitor the progress at any time.
He added that the department also uses a feedback system to assess the quality of inquiry, and this is categorised into three levels, such as: level A (resolved to the petitioner’s satisfaction), level B (due process followed but the petitioner is unsatisfied), and level C (no enquiry conducted, or a fresh enquiry is required). This feedback is collected only after the officer has had ample time (15-30 days) to conduct a thorough inquiry, and if the complaint feedback is valid as level C, the petition can be reopened and assigned to a different superior officer. He further said, “Since the inception of this software, the system has processed 4,150 petitions, with 75% resolved and 25% still under enquiry (maybe it came recently or reopened for inquiry).”
This system ensures transparency throughout the enquiry process. The department plans to automate the alert system, as the SP has to manually check the status of petitions.