From now on, the city police will answer phone calls at least three times more simultaneously when people dial the emergency number ‘100’.
Close on the heels of starting a ‘Commsionerate Call Centre’, the city police have introduced a Primary Rate Interface System to expand the phone call reception base of its control room. The new system, which also marks a shift from analogue to digital system, will also help reduce the number of call-drops even as improving voice quality.
Currently, the control room at the city police headquarters can answer a maximum of three calls at a time, and the introduction of the system will enable police personnel to attend more than 30 calls at a time.
According to officials, the old server is not capable of handling the current volume of traffic. “Call drops are not only an embarrassment for us, but a matter of concern too, as people dial the number while in distress, seeking assistance,” City Police Commissioner M.P. Dinesh said.
As calls made to the system are recorded, it is easy to know as to how efficiently they are answered. Besides, it helps senior officers make the required changes while responding to an emergency. Further, the calls can be automatically routed to the control room vehicles on patrol in the areas concerned.
With the introduction of the new system, the police plan to operate at least 10 lines simultaneously and have formulated a standard operating procedure for staff attending emergency calls. “To match the enhanced reception, police personnel will be given training at a private call centre to enable them to handle emergency calls efficiently,” the Commissioner said.
Patrol vehicles
Meanwhile, the city police have rolled out four more patrol vehicles for the police control room and installed cameras on all the 14 vehicles attached to the control room. “This will help us record the visuals of all areas these vehicles pass through,” officials said. The vehicles have also been fitted with GPS system to monitor and regulate their movement from the control room itself.
