With the continuous entry of cutting age technologies, marked improvement in law enforcement can be seen everywhere, which invariably results in curbing crimes of various nature and at all levels. Armed with newer technologies, now security agencies involved in stopping crimes are better placed to serve the communities and ensure their safety and security. Technological innovations like GPS tracking and tagging, video surveillance and others are now the main driving forces leading to the continuous improvement of crime control and crime prevention strategies. At the same time, technology-driven solutions are proving to be a boon for the common people, coming handy and bringing solutions to their common issues.
Improving performance of the police
New technological innovations are well equipped to prevent crimes of various nature by improving the performance of the police. It is also a fact that innovations may be well intended, however they have sometimes both intended and unintended consequences. This is the reason technology occasionally also help individuals to carry out the act of committing crimes right from anywhere and possibly with anonymity.
Data Mapping
Data mapping is helping tremendously to the law enforcement agencies. Weather and climate scientists have long been using it for their defined purposes. For some time now criminal justice professionals have also been using data mapping to provide police departments and investigative agencies with a clear geographical look at the types and volume of crime happening in an area. The ongoing expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling effective big data collection to enhance predictive and responsive approaches for evidence-based policing.
Smartphone tracking
Smartphone tracking is also playing a very important role in curbing criminal activities. This gives the agencies the ability to track a criminal through the use of their smart phone, providing law enforcement with a clear picture of a suspect’s movements before, during and after a crime. The technology can also save the innocent.
Social media
Social media activities of a criminal give good amount of inputs to the law enforcement agencies. This is reason why many such agencies and police departments have their dedicated social media teams and social media accounts. Social media accounts also enabling these security agencies to engage with their communities and act on tips being provide on real time basis. It also helps in gauging how a community interacts with security agencies including the police. Moreover, direct engagement with the police and other agencies builds trust, enable victims and witnesses to come forward with relevant information related to the crimes of different nature.
Biometrics
Biometrics also makes it possible to spot criminals with past records or outstanding warrants. Biometrics can be used at a crime scene to collect digital fingerprints and then used on witnesses to see if a perpetrator is still at the scene of a crime, however, it still to pick up.
Smart Policing introduced by Modi Government at Centre
In India, the smart policing plan was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. The ranking of police stations is done annually by the Ministry of Home Affairs and evaluations are done on the basis of various parameters like crime rate, infrastructure and delivery of public service, among others. Sophisticated drones, artificial intelligence, global positioning systems and CCTVs are also used to curb crime. Mapping technologies use real-time information to assess where crimes are happening. In this way, police can identify hotspots and patterns of activity.
Steps Taken to Deal with Cyber Crime
Central Government has taken steps to spread awareness about cyber crimes, issue of alerts/advisories, capacity building/training of law enforcement personnel/ prosecutors/ judicial officers, improving cyber forensics facilities etc. to prevent such crimes and to speed up investigation. The Government has launched the online cybercrime reporting portal, www.cybercrime.gov.in to enable complainants to report complaints pertaining to Child Pornography/Child Sexual Abuse Material, rape/gang rape imageries or sexually explicit content. The Central Government has rolled out a scheme for establishment of Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to handle issues related to cybercrime in the country in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
Important steps taken by the government
Establishment of National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) for protection of critical information infrastructure in the country. All organizations providing digital services have been mandated to report cyber security incidents to CERT-In expeditiously. Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre) has been launched for providing detection of malicious programmes and free tools to remove such programmes. Issue of alerts and advisories regarding cyber threats and counter-measures by CERT-In. Issue of guidelines for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) regarding their key roles and responsibilities for securing applications / infrastructure and compliance. Provision for audit of the government websites and applications prior to their hosting, and thereafter at regular intervals. Empanelment of security auditing organisations to support and audit implementation of Information Security Best Practices. Formulation of Crisis Management Plan for countering cyber attacks and cyber terrorism. Conducting cyber security mock drills and exercises regularly to enable assessment of cyber security posture and preparedness of organizations in Government and critical sectors.
National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. States/UTs are primarily responsible for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crimes through their Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). Ministry of Home Affairs operationalized the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal on 30th August 2019 to provide a centralized mechanism to the citizens for online reporting of all types of cyber crime incidents, with a special focus on cyber crimes against women and children. Incidents reported on this portal, their conversion into FIRs and subsequent action thereon are handled by the State/UT law enforcement agency concerned as per the provisions of the law. As per the data maintained, since its inception 317439 cyber crime incidents and 5771 FIRs have been registered upto 28.02.2021 in the country which inter-alia includes, 21562 cyber crime incidents and 87 FIRs registered in Karnataka, and 50806 cyber crime incidents and 534 FIRs registered in Maharashtra.
The MHA holds regular interactions with the State/UTs and advises them to expedite the disposal of cyber crime incidents reported with special emphasis on disposal of incidents pertaining to women and children.
