eGovWatch: Criminal tracking system launched in Maharashtra police stations

Proper co-ordination and sharing of data of crimes and criminals will benefit the state and country and help nab repeat offenders.

Maharashtra government has launched a Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System
(CCTNS) in every police station, with an aim to adopt a paperless working mechanism.

With this system, claimed to be the first such initiative by a state, the police will now be able to register
an FIR with a single click. Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao launched the CCTNS project in Nagpur at a function attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Additional Chief Secretary (Home)
K P Bakshi, Director General of Police Sanjeev Dayal, and other dignitaries.

Addressing the gathering, the Governor said CCTNS was not just for checking the increasing crime graph, but it had the potential to transform the police force and make it more people-friendly.

“The system will help bring transparency in police administration,” he said. He assured that it would enhance the reputation of the police department as CCTNS project was an affirmative step towards achieving the goal of ‘Digital Maharashtra’.

Proper co-ordination and sharing of data of crimes and criminals will benefit the state and country and help nab repeat offenders. It will lead to accurate investigation of crime and will increase conviction rate, Rao observed.

On challenges for police in 21st century, the Governor said, “We need well-manned, well-equipped, well-trained, modern police force to maintain safety and security of citizens and maintain law and order effectively.”

Chief Minister Fadnavis said on the occasion that the state needed quality policing to maintain law and order. Use of modern techniques will help achieve the goal, he said. He announced that the state was developing many other applications related to CCTNS to make police people-oriented.

“CCTNS will ease burden on the police,” Fadnavis said. He announced that the government has plans to cover every smart city under CCTV system surveillance. Mumbai would also come under full CCTV coverage in a year. Praising senior police officers for working hard to achieve good conviction rate, Fadnavis said, “We aim to achieve 50 per cent conviction rate.” The growing ‘white collar crimes’, including financial frauds, are the next challenge for the police force, he said.