In a first ever-live deployment in India, Bengaluru City Police (BCP) has launched a Remote Expert Government Services’ (REGS) to help citizens file a First Information Report (FIR) remotely, irrespective of the location of the jurisdiction where the offence has occurred in the city.
The kiosk was inaugurated by Karnataka Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah at Mantri Mall, Malleshwaram, in the presence of Shri K. J George, Minister of Home, Govt of Karnataka, Shri Lalrokhuma Pachuau, IPS, Director General & Inspector General of Police, Karnataka State, Shri M.N Reddi, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, Shri M Kempaiah, Advisor to Home Minister and . Dinesh Malkani, President, Cisco India. Equipped with Cisco TelePresence system with high-definition video and high-quality audio; a touch screen, virtual keyboard and Cisco collaboration technology, the kiosk will allow citizens to launch a live collaboration session with a designated police officer based at the Traffic Management Centre - the technology nerve centre of Bengaluru traffic police.
Shri Lalrokhuma Pachuau, IPS, Director General & Inspector General of Police, Karnataka, stated 'This initiative will help in our efforts to build strong and sustainable police-citizen relations. It will encourage people to report crime and real time reporting will help police take swift action. Based on the feedback from the citizens in Bengaluru, we will evaluate to set up similar kiosks in the other parts of the state'.
The complainant can sign, print and scan documents virtually as part of the experience. They will also get an opportunity to review the complaint with an expert, thus ensuring that the FIR filed is error free. Once the FIR is filed, the citizen will receive a print copy of the FIR as an instant acknowledgement. Committed to a process of improving public services for the citizens of Bengaluru, BCP will roll out the Remote FIR Kiosk as a pilot project at a mall for a trial period of three months. The Kiosk will be accessible 24X7, from which citizens may interact face-to-face with a remote Investigation officer to expedite the entire process of filing a FIR.
This kiosk will serve as the central location for FIRs related to 105 law & order police stations and 42 traffic police stations of the city. A citizen need not necessarily visit police station to lodge a FIR. Through this kiosk, citizens of Bengaluru will be able to register cases freely; and will provide BCP a realistic view of the crime rates in the city. Based upon the success of the solution, the BCP intend to roll out the kiosks in other parts of Bengaluru.
M.N.Reddi, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru further added, “The remote Kiosks will expedite the entire process of filing an FIR and enable the BCP to be more approachable and accessible to citizens. It will also provide a comfortable, confidential and safer environment for women and youth to access the police force”.
Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister, Karnataka said, 'I am happy to launch the remote police Kisok and am confident the initiative will be big success. Karnataka has been at the forefront of technology adoption with respect to public service delivery and this is another step in that direction. The solution from Cisco will make it easy for citizens to file an FIR. It will also help improve citizen-police relationship in the state'.
As part of the inauguration, BCP demonstrated a live FIR registration process, where the complainant filed the FIR remotely irrespective of the jurisdiction where the crime has occurred, showcasing how technology can transform the lives of the citizens by delivering optimized administration, an efficient law & order system, improved quality of life for citizens and greater economic, social and environmental sustainability. This collaboration between BCP and Cisco is a joint effort towards a common vision of making Bengaluru a smart city where technology and applications can be used to enhance the public’s experience and is a great example of public-private partnership to develop new solutions to address some of the city’s greatest challenges.
BCP has leveraged technology to tackle law and enforcement issues in the city since 2007. Using video survelliance and analytics technology, the rate of fatal accidents have come down by 19 % in the last four years (595 in 2014) and the city has witnessed a 30 % decrease in total road accidents from 6024 in 2011 to 4191 in 2014 in addition to improving the traffic enforcement and management system in the city. BTP has first introduced Blackberry system, e-challan for traffic violation and also Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). The B-TRAC which is a technology driven project for Traffic Management is also first of its kind in the country.
Remote Expert Government Services’ (REGS) is part of Cisco’s Smart+Connected Communities solutions portfolio. The pioneering technology offers a new way for Government services to be delivered and how citizens interact with various Government departments and officials, in a truly immersive, collaborative experience. On this occasion, BCP also announced the launch of the new centralised cell at the Traffic Management Centre where citizens can file FIRs in person, pertaining to cases of any of the police stations of the city.
