Police to use face-detecting app

April 02, 2018 12:00 am | Updated 04:48 am IST - PUDUCHERRY

It makes it easier to check the antecedents of a habitual offender with the available data

Hi-tech policing:Director General of Police S.K. Gautam launching the unique FaceTagr app (face recognition app) in Puducherry. At right, Mr. Gautam demonstrates the working of the app.T. SINGARAVELOUT_Singaravelou

Hi-tech policing:Director General of Police S.K. Gautam launching the unique FaceTagr app (face recognition app) in Puducherry. At right, Mr. Gautam demonstrates the working of the app.T. SINGARAVELOUT_Singaravelou

Director-General of Police S.K. Gautam on Saturday said the police will use FaceTagr, a unique face recognition app developed by a private firm to nab criminals and speed up investigation. The app will match the photographs and inputs of hardened criminals and their modus operandi with the details available in police records.

List of criminals

The Police department has prepared a list of 7,500 criminals, including history sheeters and rowdies from across the Union Territory, including their pictures, crime patterns and modus operandi .

The photographs of the criminals have been uploaded on the application.

“We started this exercise four months ago and used the software during the Sani Peyarchi festival . When the police zero in on a suspect or criminal during patrolling or from a crime scene, the investigating officer can run the face recognition software and check with the server if the photograph and other data match with the criminal’s database,” Mr. Gautam said.

The Puducherry police have also uploaded the photos and details of over 60,000 criminals from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

While interrogating suspects, the data of criminals of both States would be checked by the investigating officers and a criminal would not be able to escape from police. This would help detect those with criminal history, including habitual offenders and inter-State criminals, he said.

Mr. Gautam said the software would be installed on the mobile phones of all superintendents of police, beat officers and station house officers dealing with crime.

Pictures uploaded

Vijay Gnanadesikan, director and CEO of FaceTagr app, said the application was being used by the police in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry. FaceTagr has uploaded the pictures of criminals from Tamil Nadu following a request from the Puducherry police, he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Apoorva Gupta and other senior police officers were present.

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