The Kerala police force is set to receive training in artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics with help from the Digital University of Kerala (DUK), the country’s first on-campus digital university. The programme, called ‘Capacity Building in Responsible Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics’, has been specially created for the police department. It was launched at the DUK campus in Pallippuram and will comprise 150 hours of classes conducted by industry experts and researchers. The first batch of classes will have 15 selected police officers.
According to reports, the programme aims to transform policing, reduce personnel workload, and build tech-based tools to help serve the public more effectively. During the inaugurating ceremony, the Inspector General of Police (South Zone), P. Prakash, announced that the department is also working on iCoPS, which is software that will aid police tracking. It will leverage the extensive volume of crime data available in the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS), which is a government-run database. AI and data analytics tools will enable the department to create features that are essential for next-generation policing, the official said.
The Director of the Kerala IT Mission, Snehil Kumar Singh, noted that while AI may sound futuristic and far away, the reality was that its applications are currently present everywhere. An official from DUK said that the programme was a step up towards the e-governance initiative, which includes making processes smart and predictive by introducing different digital applications, hardware, and products. It is time to start onboarding people who are trained in data analytics and AI so that governance in general improves, Singh added.
Earlier this month, an Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-Kanpur)-incubated thinktank announced it is developing an AI-powered big data search engine to aid policing. The search engine strives to improve the investigation and policing process by using data from relevant stakeholders to establish a data search engine. It will help with predictive policing, crime mapping, and analysis. The search engine will be able to leverage data and predictive analytics AI by building data banks.
A massive amount of crime data is available to the government in various forms. The system will use data available in case files, first information reports (FIRs), charge sheets, seizure/conviction/arrest memos, criminals’ data, crime (case/incident) data, and data from records rooms. The idea is to build a service where all this information and data from the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector will be available on one platform for law enforcement agencies. The system will analyse data using regression models, data mining, and AI. It will also be able to provide insights into crime patterns that are unique to a given region. An official explained that police force departments in India frequently face health and social challenges as a result of being overworked. This calls for better resource allocation, and any technology or policing system that allows for improved resource allocation is highly desirable, the official said.
