Bangladesh Police is setting up an automated system to track its patrol cars in an effort to ensure effective and swift services to citizens.
Locations of patrol duty cars will be monitored from the headquarters through Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), a wireless vehicle-mounted device.
The monitoring system, an initiative of the ‘National Emergency Services 999’, will enable law-enforcers to rapidly respond to calls made to the emergency hotline.
“In other countries, emergency responders reach the caller in about five minutes on an average while it takes 25 to 30 minutes for us to reach a victim,” said Superintendent of Police Mohammad Tabarak Ullah of the National Emergency Service 999.
“Initially all the police stations will get one MDT device with more devices to be added gradually,” he added.
The MDT device, similar to a tablet PC, is made sturdier so that it can withstand accidental fall. The device, with internet connection, will be connected to the emergency services headquarters. Officials overseeing responses to 999 calls will direct the nearest patrol vehicle to the victim.
Once it’s operational, emergency services will no longer have to make calls to police stations, instead they will contact the nearest police patrol.
Initially 92 devices will be distributed among police stations in the metropolitans including Dhaka, Chattogram and Rajshahi.
Dhaka, Gazipur and Chattogram is getting most of these devices with 72 are in the process of being distributed.
Despatch desks at police stations
In an effort to further develop the quality of emergency services, despatch desks are being set up in metropolitan police stations. The current 999 despatch desks are being shifted to stations and assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors are being trained, said officials familiar with the matter.
Calls made to 999 will be transferred to despatch desks at police stations, nearest to the caller. The call will be monitored from the emergency services headquarters. The caller will directly speak to the officer in charge and the police station cannot end the call until the victim is satisfied with the service he/she sought. Once the victim gets the support, the police station will brief the emergency services who will then disconnect the call.