Chennai to come under WhatsApp umbrella of cops

Chennai: Taking a big step towards virtual policing, Chennai police on Thursday unveiled a plan for WhatsApp groups in all police stations in the city with the station’s law & order Inspector as the group’s administrator and all stakeholders from the public as members. 

“We are trying to step into virtual policing. It will function as two-way communication system where the public will be able to send information, upload photographs in the group and the police will be also able to respond and reply,” Chennai police commissioner Karan Singha told this newspaper.  

Police noted that WhatsApp police-public interface would be a non-formal channel of communication between the two sides.  Apart from station law and order inspector (Law and Order), inspector (crime), sub-inspectors, beat officers and patrol vehicle officers will be members of the group. 

The public will be represented by members of residential welfare and flat residents associations, senior citizens, traders bank managers, principals of schools and colleges, representatives from jewellery and pawn  brokers associations, representatives from government offices,  security managers of hotels, managers of cinema theatres,  security managers of malls and NGOs.   

“As this group consists of members from all stakeholders of policing, this acts as a one-point Virtual  Police Station (VPS),” a press release from the city police said.  The group, which will be monitored by senior officials will be used only for sharing information, public grievances and issues related to police.  Additional commissioners of police will review progress and brief the CoP every Monday, press release said.   

The advantages of the system include senior citizens being able to send complaints without leaving their residence and instant passing on of crime awareness information to the public, it said. The entire system promotes evidence based policing as both complaints and compliance are with photographic / videographic evidence.