Chennai: Digicop' to track stolen phones, bikes

Chennai: City Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan in the presence of actor Vijay Sethupathi launched mobile App 'DigiCop' of the city police department at the commissioner's office on Wednesday.

"The user can also lodge mobile theft complaints using the app and can check if the user's mobile is in the police list of retrieved mobiles. The user can also know if their stolen two-wheeler had been traced by the police," a press release from the commissioner's office said.

The other features of the app include  the user can know the traffic condition in the city and also information about nearby police stations. The police department is expected to add more features to the app in the future. Vijay Sethupathi also released a DVD on CCTV awareness and several other police campaigns to make the police department people friendly.

Further, details of 18,000 stolen mobile phones are stored in the app. So next time someone is buying a phone from a second-hand shop they can verify if the phone is stolen or genuine. Using DigiCop App, people can verify IMEI, report lost two-wheelers and phones, police news and traffic alerts. The police department will add more features soon, they said.

Speaking at the event, Vijay Sethupathi said the app will make citizens feel like the police are always with them. Using the app, people can track the status of stolen two-wheelers and cell phones. "It reduces the gap between the police and the community. My favourite feature about the app is that it will display the nearest police station, the inspector at the station and all other details in a single click," he said.

Appealing to the police to be more sensitive to the needs of the public when they visit the police station, Vijay Sethupathi highlighted that people are wary of going to the police station because of fear.

"The policeman is our best friend. We teach our children in school this every day. We even take them to the police station and visit them so they can see that the police are there to help us. But most mothers scare their children because of which the fear remains," says Sylvia Prema, a teacher in the city.