Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has come to the aid of city police of Zone-2 in ensuring their presence in sensitive and vulnerable areas during the night and assisting in curbing crimes by 30%.
This innovative use of AI demonstrates how technology can help the police maintain law and order through data-driven and real-time solutions.
Recent data shared by the police, covering the period from August 13 to November 11 in 2023 and 2024, revealed a significant drop in crime cases, from 319 to 223 at night.
Since its implementation in August, the initiative has improved visibility in patrol activities, enabled systematic tracking and enhanced accountability within the force. It ensures that sensitive zones are consistently monitored, thereby reducing crime rates.
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Deputy commissioner of police (zone-2) Abhinay Vishwakarma said that a GPS map camera app was installed in each police officer’s mobile phone. This app enabled the officers to capture images of sensitive locations during their patrols, automatically tagging them with vital metadata, such as latitude, longitude, date and time. These tagged images were shared within the department’s WhatsApp groups, ensuring real-time tracking and checking coverage areas.
The AI will automatically compile the data, once images are processed, to extract essential details and categorise it police station-wise into Excel sheets. This facilitates the creation of heat maps, which visually represent patrol coverage, offering insights into gaps in security and areas requiring more attention.
Despite its advantages, the initiative faces challenges like repetitive image submissions, outdated photos and reliance on officers’ self-reported locations.
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Patrolling team cannot make excuses
The patrolling team cannot make excuses, as it is required to send an image of sensitive and other key areas every hour, which is systematically recorded in a spreadsheet maintained for night patrol.
Senior officials can check the next day as to which police personnel were at specific locations at what time and whether they were moving, as the AI system provides accurate and truthful data.
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How it works:
·Mandatory GPS-Tagged images: Police officers are instructed to click photographs in key areas during their night patrols.
·Data consolidation: Images are downloaded, classified by police stations and converted into organised spreadsheets.
·Heat maps for evaluation: Using Excel data, heat maps are generated to compare patrol effectiveness across areas.
·Focus on sensitive areas: A list of sensitive locations is maintained and officers ensure these are covered during their patrols.
Police use AI to confront thieves
DCP Abhinay Vishwakarma said, “We assign tasks to police personnel, asking them to check a specific number of sensitive points. We also cross-check their timings and movements the next day, as their mobility patterns change regularly. This unpredictability has led to several encounters between thieves and the police.”
He shared examples of recent successes. A few days ago, police caught four suspicious individuals in Bicholi Hapsi who were planning to commit theft. After interrogation, two stolen bikes were recovered from them. In another incident, two suspicious individuals were caught in Khajrana, leading to the recovery of six stolen bikes.
