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, in a first-ever live deployment in India, the Bengaluru City Police (BCP) has launched a Remote Expert Government Services (REGS). The kiosk was inaugurated by the Karnataka Chief Minister, Shri Siddaramaiah, at Mantri Mall, Malleswaram, in the presence of Shri K. J. George, Minister of Home, Government 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, Adviser to the 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.
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.
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 the total road accidents – from 6,024 in 2011 to 4,191 in 2014, in addition to improving the traffic enforcement and management system in the city.
Dinesh Malkani, President, India and SAARC, Cisco, said, "We are very excited to work with the Bengaluru police in setting up Cisco Remote Expert Government Services’ (REGS) for remote FIR filing. This is a great example to showcase what the future of citizen services will look like as the government rolls out the Digital India program. We want to collaborate with the government and the various agencies to roll out technology solutions like REGS, which will transform the delivery of citizen services and improve the quality of life of the citizens. At Cisco, we are committed to deepening our presence in the country and help transform the way citizens in a Digital India live, work, play and learn."
On this occasion, BCP has also announced the launch of the new centralized 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.
