Let me paint a picture for you.
On a busy Monday
morning, Anahita, a 26-year professional is walking out of a coffee shop with
her much needed morning coffee when suddenly she hears a loud bang. Then suddenly
she sees it. Two men on a motorbike and wearing helmets have just shot a man in
his SUV. Instinctively, she pulls out her smartphone and presses the power
button twice. She has just sent out a distress notification.
Anahita’s location is
now blinking on the screen of a Police Control Room operator. The operator
recognizes that signal well. He locates the nearest PCR Van location on his touch
screen and selects it. A direct communication link between the operator and
PCR-A Van has been activated.
Operator: There is a
distress signal from A-Block Market. The witness is Anahita. Her location in
now active on your screen. Please investigate ASAP.
PCR-A Van: We are on our
way. ETA 3 minutes.
Operator: I will update
you with details.
The operator then
selects the blinking signal generated by Anahita and a call to her has now been
activated.
Operator: Ma’am this is
the emergency response team. Are you under distress?
Anahita: A man just got
shot in front of me.
Operator: The PCR Van is
on its way. Did you see who shot the victim?
Anahita: Two men on a
bike. I managed to memorize the license number. It’s XY 14 TM 9198. They rode
towards C-Block.
The operator selects
PCR-B Van, which is closest to C-Block on her screen.
Operator: We have a
firing situation at A-block. The accused are on a motorbike with license plate
XY 14 TM 9198. The bike is registered in the name of a ‘Kumar’. City tracking
for their vehicle has been activated. Their current location is now active on
your screen. Please pursue. PCR-A Van is reaching A-Block.
PCR-B Van: We are on our
way.
Operator: Anahita. We
have recorded your statement and you are a witness to this incident. Help is on
the way. Please stand by.
The operator now
selects the + sign on the right panel. He then goes on to select the closest
medical facility and a direct communication link has been activated with the
hospital’s emergency response executive.
Operator: Please dispatch
an ambulance to A-block immediately. A man has been shot.
The operator completes
the crime incident form with all details provided by Anahita. He just needs one
more detail. PCR-A Van has reached A-block and is assessing the situation.
Karan, the head constable approaches Anahita whose photo is on the tablet that
he is carrying.
Karan: Ma’am, did you
give the distress notification.
Anahita: I did.
Karan: Did you give this
statement? (Shows her the statement on his tablet)
Anahita: I did.
Karan: Please put your
right thumb on this sensor.
Anahita’s Aadhaar card
registration manages to confirm her identity on Karan’s tablet.
The authorization from
Anahita completes the operator’s form and he hits done. A digital witness report
is now added to the case folder. A copy has been shared with the Crime Research
and Analysis Wing.
This is part of what I believe will be the ideal emergency
response system to crime incidents. Such a system would significantly improve
the chances of the accused getting caught, the victim getting medical
assistance in time, and a speedy trial due to evidence provided by witnesses. The
technology that is required to make this possible already exists – Smartphone
Applications, GPS tracking, Radio Communication, Finger-print-based
Identification, and Navigation. In terms of technology, such an eco-system is
not impossible to build. But high-end technology is only a medium to speed up
the process. The most important ingredient that makes this system a powerful
tool to fight crime is Anahita’s little effort of hitting the power button on
her smartphone twice. Would you have done it?
The first step is to report crime. Start doing it today.
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