Bangalore traffic police goes hitech with BlackBerry systems

Bangalore, the country's IT hub, is set to usher in traffic monitoring and enforcement via e-mode with an initiative called BlackBerry Assisted Traffic Enforcement, initiated by the Bangalore traffic police in 2008.

At a function on Wednesday near Ashoknagar police station all traffic officers up to the rank of ASI of the Bangalore City Traffic Police (BCTP) were presented BlackBerries and Bluetooth-supported printers. Outlining the advantages of the Blackberries on the occasion, city police commissioner Shankar Bidari said the traffic police would benefit from a robust database of traffic offenders and real-time access to history of offences.

The systems would also help penalise habitual offenders, apprehending offenders who do not bother to settle their traffic violation notices and offer a real-time Management Information System to keep track of performance of officers, log types of vehicles being penalised, category of offences commmitted and provide instant access to information available to traffic personnel.

Under the project the BCTP has installed 160 surveillance cameras and five enforcement cameras across the city. These are used for traffic monitoring, regulation and enforcement.

The system would also eliminate manipulation and misappropriation of the money collected by way of fines and record the correct fine amount, he said. The BlackBerries could be used as standalones too, he added.

Additional commissioner of police (traffic and security) Praveen Sood said Phase II, involving 370 BlackBerries and printers, deployed advanced and robust equipment with protective covers.