Kerala Police, which is known for being one of the most technologically advanced departments in the country, is experimenting with disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics in order to stay ahead of the curve in this era of digital transformation.
The Digital University Kerala, the country’s first on-campus digital university, is assisting them in this endeavour. Capacity Building in Responsible Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics for the Police Department, a specially tailored training programme, was launched at DUK’s Pallippuram campus earlier this week, according to an official statement.
Inspector General of Police (South Zone) P Prakash, who inaugurated the programme, stated that the department is currently working on a new software, iCoPS, to harness the vast amount of crime data accessible in the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & System (CCTNS). Using AI and Data Analytics technologies, the department would be able to develop software features that are critical for next-generation police. The ultimate goal of this effort is to minimise officers’ burden at police stations, allowing them to deliver better public service.
DUK Vice Chancellor Saji Gopinath said this programme marks the next level of e-Governance. This is the stage where we start optimizing the processes, making the government smart and predictive, or in other words, Intelligent, he said. “We are looking at a series of projects for various government departments that are much more deep and hands-on with technology as a major component. We are very happy that we are starting this series with the Kerala Police department,” Gopinath said. Snehil Kumar Singh, Director, Kerala State IT Mission, said the AI and Data Analytics may sound as something very futuristic but the reality is we are right in the middle of dealing with the possibilities of using those technologies in governance.
”The entire e-governance initiative was about introducing different applications, hardwares and products so that the governance improves in general. Now it is time we start onboarding people who have certain idea in data analytics and AI so that governance itself improves,” the IT Mission Director added. The training programme has 150 hours of classroom sessions that would be handled by industry experts and researchers. As many as 15 select officers from the police department would undergo the first batch of training, the statement added.