Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala police are doing away with the age-old wireless sets to graduate to digital mobile radio communication. The police in Thrissur district has already tried the modern wireless sets made by leading communications companies including Motorola.
The new equipment will be launched in Thrissur, Palakkad and Idukki district in the first phase, officers with the police telecommunication division told Onmanorama. The project will be expanded across the state if the trial is successful.
The digital mobile radio communications equipment, tested for efficiency by the Bharat Electronics Limited, is an entirely different beast from the existing wireless sets. The current wireless sets are analogue-based and lets everyone in the vicinity listen to the transmitted message. The digital sets ensure that the messages stay safe and secure.
Communication through the digital sets would be as clear as in a mobile phone. The location of the set can be tracked through GPS. Even the conversations in the police vehicle can be monitored through the set.
The state police department is required to pay the central government about Rs 6 crore per year for the separate wireless frequencies they use for traffic, law and order and other divisions. The switch to the new system would enable the force to communicate through fewer frequencies.
An officer in charge of a station could communicate with his colleagues even if he happens to be outside the home district. The current wireless sets do not offer this facility.
The digital sets can also be used to record photographs and send text messages. The new communication system will be linked to the police crime mapping system. Officers said that they expect the new system to make crime investigation more efficient.
The Kerala police is going for tier three of the digital mobile radio communication devices. Their counterparts in Delhi and Maharashtra are using older versions.
