Efficient policing: New system at Rescue 15 to rescue it from prank callers

System blocks undesirable calls, ensuring availability of telephone lines.

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad Police has introduced a “Computer Telephony System” that blocks prank or undesirable calls at its emergency helpline 15. The system will ensure availability of telephone lines for people needing police assistance in genuine emergencies by avoiding time wastage on unnecessary calls.

The system was formally inaugurated by Inspector General of Police Islamabad Bani Amin Khan in a ceremony held here at Rescue 15 on Sunday. Country Manager of Time Zone Technology (TZT), the firm that provided the technology to the capital police, briefed the IGP about the workings of the new system. He informed the IGP of the features of the system, which include logging, recording, blocking and monitoring of calls, crime reports collection, and a Human Resource Management tool that calculates the number of calls received by a single duty official.

It can also monitor live phone calls from anywhere in the world through internet, mobile phone or land line. The company is in collaboration with the police to run this system in Lahore, Taxila, Murree and Rawalpindi as well, he added. The IGP listened to various calls at the emergency helpline and was informed that during the last 24 hours they had received a total of 2,926 calls, out of which 1,843 calls were bogus. Since its implementation, the system had blocked 74 numbers from which repeatedly bogus calls were being received, the officials added. The IGP said that the purpose of launching the system was to provide relief to the people with genuine emergencies and also the police, who were perturbed due to hoax and prank calls. “Response time of Rescue 15 is four minutes and this system will ensure timely help to the people,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2011.