Govt to set up institute to make police tech-savvy

Centre to come up at detective training school in Uttar Pradesh

The government is setting up a new institution aimed at developing technology-based solutions for police forces across the country.

Christened National Police Technological Development Centre (NPTDC), the new set-up will act as a nodal resource centre for technology applications in the police force with a mandate to identify and develop standards and provide appropriate technology-based solutions.

The NPTDC, which will come under the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), is also tasked to present a roadmap for implementation of projects, a senior official said.

The centre will also be responsible for development of new technologies and applications to meet the “present and emerging” challenges, the official said.

The NPTDC will come up in a 0.84-acre plot at the existing Central Detective Training School in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of Delhi.

The BPRD has now invited Expression of Interest from consulting firms and consortiums for preparing a detailed project report, which includes designing of buildings and labs besides other matters.

At present, there is no system to develop or evaluate technology appropriate for the police in India.

With the operationalisation of NPTDC, the official said, this critical gap will be bridged.

Countries like the United States, United Kingdom and Canada have specialised mechanism to develop technology, which are apt for police forces.

In the US, the National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the US Department of Justice established in 1968, provides special technology needs for law enforcement agencies.

It focuses on advancing technology for criminal justice application, including law enforcement and corrections, forensics, and judicial processes, as well as criminology, criminal justice and related social science research.

For UK, the Home Office Scientific Development Branch provides advice and operational support on any issue relating to science and technology. The Canadian Police Research Centre also supports research and development for its police forces.