Having won plaudits for its technology-enabled policing strategy, the Kerala Police have embarked on imbibing disruptive technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI) to stay ahead of the curve during the age of digital transformation.
The police force has joined hands with the Digital University of Kerala (DUK), the country’s first on-campus digital university, to launch a specially designed training programme. Inspector General of Police (South Zone) P. Prakash formally inaugurated the ‘Capacity building in responsible AI and data analytics for the police department’ on the university campus a few days ago.
New software
Speaking on the occasion, the senior officer said the Kerala Police had been working on a new software, iCoPS, to leverage the extensive volume of crime data available in the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS), the Central government-run database.
“The application of AI and Data Analytics tools will enable the department to create features in iCoPS that are essential for next-generation policing. The targeted goal of this initiative is to reduce the workload of officers at police stations, thereby enabling them to provide better services to the public,” Mr. Prakash.
First batch
Fifteen police officers will undergo training in the first batch of the programme that comprises 150 hours of classroom sessions that will be led by industry experts and researchers in cutting-edge technologies.
DUK Vice Chancellor Saji Gopinath, who chaired the inaugural session, said the workshop is bound to usher in the next level of e-governance in the State that involved optimising processes and adopting smart technologies. He added the university has been exploring a series of similar projects that are customised for various government departments.
Essential tools
Kerala State IT Mission Director Snehil Kumar Singh said emerging technologies such as AI have become essential tools in governance. “The e-governance initiative centred around introducing different applications, hardware and products to improve administration. It is now time to start onboarding people who possess knowledge in avenues such as AI and Data Analytics to further enhance governance,” he pointed out.
DUK Dean (Academics) Elizabeth Sherly, Chief Technical Officer Jayachandran M.B., and iCoPS coordinator and assistant sub-inspector Dilli S. spoke on the occasion.
