Punjab to Use AI in Policing: IIT Ropar Partnership Aims to Crack Down on Gangs and Drug Networks

Punjab collaborates with IIT Ropar to implement AI driven policing, creating a centralised dataset that unites structured and unstructured records. The initiative enables real-time tracking of organised crime, improves data quality, and supports faster, data-driven decision making to strengthen the War Against Gangsters and Drugs.

Punjab is set to bring artificial intelligence into core policing after the Bhagwant Mann government partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar. The project aims to build a structured database of criminals and strengthen campaigns such as 'War Against Gangsters’ and 'War Against Drugs’ targeting organised crime and narcotics networks.

Under this collaboration, artificial intelligence tools will help the Punjab Police trace and target organised crime with a single click. Authorities plan to track gang operations both within and outside the state, including networks operating from foreign locations, by analysing large volumes of digitised police records on one integrated platform.

Punjab AI Policing: Technology Partnership and Key Institutions

For the Punjab AI policing initiative, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences and IIT Ropar. A data intelligence and technical support setup at AIIMS Mohali will coordinate among stakeholders, ensuring smooth implementation and seamless information flow.

IIT Ropar will design advanced software featuring data analytics, voice recognition, and dashboard-based monitoring. These tools are expected to enable real-time tracking and intelligence-based policing. Officials say the system will also help track gangsters operating from abroad and influencing youth in Punjab.

Punjab AI Policing: Focus on Structured and Unstructured Data

The project focuses on creating a unified criminal database that connects both structured and unstructured data. This includes digitising scanned PDFs, handwritten reports, and legacy records. This step will allow police personnel to access previously scattered information quickly and improve investigations that were earlier slowed down due to fragmented records.

Authorities noted that while structured data is easy to analyse, a large portion of police records remains unstructured. Many files are handwritten or stored as scanned documents, which makes integration difficult. The new system will convert such data and merge it into a single, unified framework.

Punjab AI Policing: AI Tools and Predictive Models

Under this initiative, IIT Ropar and the state government will provide technical support for crime tracking and analysis. Artificial intelligence tools, predictive models, and analytical dashboards will transform raw data into actionable intelligence. This is expected to help police leadership make faster and more accurate decisions.

A senior Punjab Police officer said,“This collaboration with IIT Ropar will strengthen the police force’s AI and machine learning capabilities. Police personnel will be better equipped to identify crime patterns, which will make the 'War Against Gangsters’ campaign more effective and prevent criminals from misusing technology.”

The officer added,“Our goal is to stay one step ahead of criminals and target their networks. Gangsters operate from foreign countries and provoke local youth into crime. This collaboration will strengthen identification and prevention of crime through AI. It will help Punjab Police build a structured database, enabling systematic collection of information on criminals and gangsters, and allow effective evaluation, interrogation, and analysis using AI-based tools.”

Punjab AI Policing: Impact on Security

The project is also designed to bridge the gap between different data sources. The new system will absorb unstructured records and integrate them with structured datasets to create a well-organised database. This is expected to speed up crime detection, improve monitoring of criminal networks, and enable faster, data-driven action to enhance public safety.

By combining technology from IIT Ropar, institutional support from medical institutes, and field-level inputs from Punjab Police, the initiative aims to build a centralised and intelligent system to combat organised crime. Authorities believe this will lead to better identification of crime patterns, stronger action against gangs and drugs, and quicker responses to security threats across Punjab.