Madadgar-15 helpline: Private sector to help stem bogus calls

Police await action on summary resting with the chief minister

KARACHI: Hello, mere ghar mein choohay ghus gaye hain, please fori police bhaijiye [Rats have intruded into my house, please send the police immediately], this is one of the most common prank calls received by the police helpline, Madadgar-15, in Karachi, according to officials who answer 'emergency' calls.

In 2015, more than four million - 4,151,447 to be exact - calls were received on the helpline, of which more than 3.5 million - 3,522,434 - were prank calls.



This bombardment of bogus pleas for help has led the Sindh police to outsource the rescue helpline to 'streamline it in a professional manner'.

"Yes, we have planned this and are now waiting for approval of the summary sent to the chief minister," confirmed DIG Administration Ghulam Sarwar Jamali while talking to The Express Tribune.

Madadgar-15 was established in 2000 by then Sindh IG Aftab Nabi at the Central Police Office.

Currently, the SP of the Muhafiz Force holds the additional charge of Madadgar-15, which has 35 phone lines. Less than 100 staffers attend more than 15,000 calls every day by tending to landlines and walkie-talkies round-the-clock in three shifts.

New plan

In the new plan, put forth by Sindh IG AD Khawaja, the old service would be replaced with modern call centre facilities to be operated by the private sector.



After receiving approval from the chief minister, the police would invite bids from leading private sector Information Technology Enabling Services (ITeS) providers to setting up the helpline with modern features. The new helpline will employ the latest recording systems and properly trained staff to handle calls and promptly react on complaints. "There was a need of a modern helpline for the Sindh police. This will be handled by professionals as the department does not have enough staff in this connection," explained DIG Jamali. "We would have the authority to take the contract back from the company following an unsatisfactory performance."

Reasons

According to some police officials, there were multiple reasons to outsource the police helpline, including an incident wherein an emergency call related to a high-profile kidnapping case a few months back was received at the helpline but due to the substandard recording system and poor response from the staff, the tip could not be acted on.



 

Most citizens facing any emergency in Karachi know to call dial 15, where ideally, an officer attends the call on the first ring, listens to the crisis at hand, and dispatches help to the location within minutes. Of course, citizens also know this idealised scenario is quite far from reality. Currently, the rescue hotline is known for its delayed response to distress calls and police vans are rarely seen at emergency situations.

According to official data, nearly 85% of the calls made to Madadgar-15 helpline in Karachi in 2015 turned out to be bogus. These calls were traced back to pranksters trying to take the law enforcers for a ride. In some cases, the callers made their intentions clear by indulging in flippant conversation from the get-go, while in others the police only learnt of the false alarm when a team was dispatched to investigate. "As we replace the staff, we would also take the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on board to block numbers. If the PTA does not cooperate with us then we will go for legislation making the PTA's coordination with us compulsory," explained Jamali.

#ThankyouADKhawaja

The current staff of Madadgar-15 has welcomed the decision. After resourcing the helpline, the current staff would be sent back to various police units. "We want to say thanks to our senior officials for doing this," said a senior telephone operator who did not want to be named. "At least from now, I can introduce myself as a policeman instead of an operator."

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2016.