The new-age policing: Smarter, faster, more humane

In a fast-changing world, police performance will be judged not by the number of tech-based applications launched, but by the number of crimes that do not take place

In the 1990s, when I first walked into a police station as a trainee IPS officer, policing was largely a race to catch up with crime. The tools were modest: a handwritten ‘Rojnamcha’, a temperamental black rotary-dial telephone, and the institutional memory of the MHC and beat constable. Success was measured by how quickly the police reached the scene, arrested the accused and restored order.

Three decades later, that paradigm is changing fundamentally. Technology, data and intelligence are enabling the police to move from reacting to crime to anticipating and preventing it. The critical question is no longer merely, “What happened?” but “What is likely to happen - and what can we do before it does?”

This is the essence of new-age policing: using technology not as an end in itself, but as an instrument to prevent crime, accelerate justice, protect the vulnerable and make policing more accessible, accountable and humane. In Haryana, this transformation is already visible - from Dial 112 and women’s safety initiatives to cybercrime intervention, AI-assisted investigation, digital evidence and real-time intelligence. Based on more than five million calls each year, the average response time stays below seven minutes, whether in cities or the countryside. Motorbikes can navigate market streets where four-wheelers would get stuck.

When a woman is in danger, she presses one button on the Durga Shakti app, and her current location is sent to the same command centre. A woman who is travelling alone at night can register her journey and be effectively looked after until she gets home. This is not a reactive action; it is accompaniment.

The previous system largely failed to cope with cybercrime because criminals could be based in another country and money could vanish within minutes. The helpline 1930, connected to Dial 112 and manned by bank representatives who work with police officers, gets about 5,000 calls every day and freezes suspicious transfers before mule accounts can drain them.

Haryana leads the nation in preventing fraudulent transfers and has recovered about 40 per cent of funds defrauded within the state. Since June, any complaint (online) involving a loss of more than Rs 1 lakh has automatically resulted in an e-Zero FIR. Prevention is now taking steps even further upstream; the ‘Abhedya’ app enables unknown international extortion calls to be kept from reaching the victim, and the Dual OTP pilot allows a trusted contact of a senior citizen to block a suspicious large transaction, providing a small amount of protection against the ‘digital arrest’ scam. The basic beat has also been reconsidered. With the Eagle app, an on-duty police officer can immediately compare a detainee’s face with a database of offenders, exposing impersonators and avoiding lengthy detentions for law-abiding citizens. The National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) can match a blurred fingerprint recovered at a crime scene with entries in the national records in just a few seconds. Smart E-Beat records patrols using GPS, and the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) links police stations to courts, jails and forensic facilities. Meanwhile, e-Sakshya ensures that crime-scene evidence is preserved in an unchangeable form.

The reforms go beyond the streets to affect the fundamental machinery of the justice system. When evidence parcels move from the police station to the forensic laboratory, a barcode is assigned to each one, creating a chain of custody that can withstand judicial scrutiny. Instead of making long, risky journeys, prisoners now attend court through secure video links.

Even people with no name are now being given one: an AI-assisted system matches the faces and fingerprints of unidentified bodies with those in the missing persons database, giving closure to families who have been waiting for years. Similarly, internal tools matter; complaint dashboards show where complaints go unaddressed, so accountability does not rely entirely on goodwill.

Crash data is converted into heat maps that show engineers where to redesign a curve, and cashless trauma care helps shorten the important golden hour. On motorways, number-plate recognition cameras continuously monitor the situation and also serve as a record for tracking vehicles that escape.

If we discuss only the possible outcomes of this transformation without going further, we would be poor guardians of it. The United States’ experience with statistics-based policing - especially its use of dashboards, performance targets and strict enforcement of minor offences — shows that crime statistics can decrease even as community confidence falls.

Facial recognition, currently being developed to identify offenders who have admitted guilt and those who have jumped bail, and lawful interception can result in excessive surveillance unless strict legal safeguards, regular auditing and proper oversight are in place.

That is the reason why the key improvement does not lie in the server room: just as important as any software are training in de-escalation, awareness of bias and courtesy. Digital services matter too, because the ‘HARSAMAY’ portal lets citizens avoid queuing for a copy of an FIR or a verification certificate, and QR-code feedback at station counters gives each visitor a chance to share their views. By conducting online patrols and maintaining a visible presence on social media platforms, the community extends its area of responsibility into the digital environment.

“New Age Policing”: In the fast-changing world, the performance will be judged not by the number of tech-based applications we launch, but by the number of crimes that do not take place, the number of people who are not harmed, and the citizens who do not even need to go into a police station for an FIR (now e-FIR/Zero FIR beyond jurisdiction).

The ultimate test, however, is not the number of apps launched or databases created. It is much simpler: How many crimes are prevented, how many victims are protected, how quickly justice is delivered, and how much public trust the police earn.

The ultimate test, however, is not the number of apps launched or databases created. It is much simpler: How many crimes are prevented, how many victims are protected, how quickly justice is delivered, and how much public trust the police earn

The writer is the Director General of Police, Haryana; Views presented are personal.