Small chip to prove big headache for irresponsible UP cops

Lucknow, Dec 16: The Uttar Pradesh police is toying with the idea of installing small chips in police jeeps to keep track of station officers and police post in charges who often go ''missing'' while on patrol duty.

There had been numerous complaints that police station level officials often rest at the their houses or even leave the area of their jurisdiction for personal work in the guise of being on patrol duty.

Allahabad-based Police Headquaters is in negotiation with state owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to install small chips in police jeeps. These chips would be connected to a BSNL server that would help senior officers get to the location of their subordinates on their computer screens. The chip would work on the lines of cell phone and display the exact location of the jeep and its distance from the police station with the click of the mouse.

The BSNL parlance, the system is known as 'Research Tracking and Monitoring System'.

The system would help district police chiefs (SSPs or SPs), the DIG (Range) and even the IG (Zone) know the exact location of police jeep carrying the station officer or chowki in charge, sources in the state police told the sources.

Besides keeping a watch on the officers, the system would also help deploy maximum number of personnel present in the vicinity of a major incident, for example a shoot-out, riot or an inferno.

UNI