GUWAHATI, Dec 12 � An ambitious IT project will soon enable police stations across the country to stay connected and share information/data on crimes and criminals. The project which is at the initial stage of implementation in Assam is expected to bring in revolutionary changes in the manner crimes are investigated and criminals tracked.
The Rs 2,000-crore mega IT venture called Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project is an advancement on the earlier computerization initiatives like Common Integrated Police Application (CIPA) and Crime Criminal Information System (CCIS).
�The CCTNS will create a national data bank of crime and criminals and their biometric profiles. The database will have a handshake with databases of other agencies of the criminal justice system like courts, jails, immigration and passport authorities, forensic labs, Transport Department, mobile companies, Central agencies, etc., in a phased manner,� official sources told The Assam Tribune.
The CCTNS was conceived because the CIPA and CCIS were functioning as standalone systems and police stations across the country continued to function as isolated islands. The new project will connect 14,000 police stations and 6,000 supervisory and related officers, which will have a significant impact on the information base of the investigating officers.
Sources said that in Assam 312 police stations would be connected under the project. While the funding will be done by the Centre, policing being a State subject the role of the State authorities will be critical to the success of the project.
�The State Police has been asked to identify the consistently power deficient police stations requiring solar back-up. A total of 15 per cent police stations can be given solar power back-up through police modernization schemes of the Ministry of Home Affairs,� sources added.
Training being a key component of the project, the identification process of fulltime manpower that would work on the system and invest in their training has started.
�Roughly 42 per cent of constable rank and above, 73 per cent of ASI rank and above and 59 per cent of SP rank and above officers have to be trained in using the CCTNS. Thus a very large manpower of the police force will be trained up, which is going to be unprecedented. Adequate funds have been placed at the State�s disposal and outsourcing is also permitted,� sources said.
The IL&FS is advising Assam Police in the implementation of the project.
Sources said that the CCTNS gave the State several deadlines to be met within December and efforts were on to meet those. �Some of the December deadlines mandate the State Police to complete site preparation and hardware installation in ten per cent of the police stations; networking and connectivity of all the police stations and higher offices; training of at least 20 per cent of the total strength of police stations etc.,� sources said.
Initiation of data digitization activities is expected to start by January next year. Full implementation of the project is expected by 2012.
