Mangalore: Traffic police yet to start using BlackBerry devices

The Hindu

• ‘There are some technical issues to be addressed by the department’s computer wing’, said the Mangalore Police

 

Mangalore, 12 June 2012: Traffic police in Mangalore and other parts of the State are yet to start using BlackBerry devices for traffic rules enforcement.

 

Director-General and Inspector General of Police Lalrokhuma Pachau had announced that these devices would be put to use for traffic rules enforcement in the State from Monday.

 

Traffic Police showing Blackberry, after reciving it from Home Minister M.P. Prakash at the launch of Bangalore Transport Information System

 

Inquires with the Mangalore police revealed that there were some technical issues to be addressed by the State Police Department’s computer wing. “We are yet to receive message from the headquarters for using the BlackBerry device,” said a city traffic police officer.

 

Mangalore Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said 21 BlackBerry devices had been provided for traffic police, who were now using devices by which they were issuing e-challans. The BlackBerry devices and the accompanying mini-printers would be used by assistant sub-inspectors and officials ranked higher.

 

Mr. Singh said the last batch of traffic policemen from the city were undergoing training in Bangalore.

 

According to a press note issued by Mr. Pachau on Friday, the State would be the first in the country to go for complete paperless traffic rules enforcement.

 

It added that the use of BlackBerry devices and blue-tooth enabled printers would phase out paper challans and police notice books. This would not only bring transparency in the enforcement but also help in real time monitoring.

 

It said 250 traffic officers of the rank of assistant sub-inspectors, police sub-inspectors and police inspectors would be using the devices in the State.

 

Nearly 750 officers in Bangalore were successfully using the devices in Bangalore for the past four years, the release said.

 

Additional Director-General of Police (Police Computer Wing) Praveen Sood on Monday said he had a video conference with 16 superintendents of police where several doubts regarding the working of the devices were raised. It included one about the way the present enforcement data could be synchronised with the data collected from the BlackBerry devices. There were also questions whether the BlackBerry devices would work when the systems were down.

 

Mr. Sood said the existing mode of enforcement – use of paper challans and notice books in some districts and e-challans in Mangalore – would continue alongside the use of BlackBerry devices for about two weeks. A team comprising of police officials and the Airtel would be visiting each district and help police personnel in actual usage of the devices. A help desk was being set up in Bangalore to answer queries of the personnel.

 

The superintendents of police were being given passwords to enable them to monitor the enforcement process in their areas, Mr. Sood said.