Ranchi police have developed an application that will not only provide them access to profiles of all offenders in the district but also help them keep an eye on such criminals who are either out on bail or have served their imprisonment term — a facility, which according to police, will help in averting crimes by identifying potential threats in advance.
“Profiles of each and every offender, including details of their current whereabouts, will be accessible through this app,” said Ranchi Superintendent of Police Saurav.
The use of this application will also help the police do away with the tedious practice of maintaining records in handwritten files, which are prone to damage and wear and tear. Once all the records are digitized, the cops will be able to access details about criminals on their mobile devices or computers without having to look for files manually in police stations, police said.
The Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) of the Ministry of Home Affairs also maintains records of criminals who have served jail terms. However, this new app of the Ranchi Police will also ease the process of maintaining vigilance on people with criminal records, police said.
Cops, Saurav said, will pay regular visits to the people with criminal records, especially those who are likely to go down the path of crime again. This practice, he added, will keep the police updated about the role of habitual offenders and people with criminal records in planning and perpetrating crimes.
This application, which is yet to be named, was designed over a period of several months by IT experts from the Data Centre of Ranchi police. It was undergoing updates and was likely to be operational soon, police said.
This app shares some of its features from a software developed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Jharkhand police. IT experts of Ranchi police have added new features and updates to make the app more user-friendly and accessible from different devices, police said.
Trends studied by the police have highlighted that criminals who have served jail terms are often arrested for perpetrating different crimes within a couple of years since their release. While some of them may succeed in eking out a living without breaking the law again, most of themend up choosing illegal means of making a living, a police official said.