‘The police isn’t using the existing system to its full potential’. PHOTO: MARIAM ESSA
The government last week declined the Punjab police inspector general’s request for a supplementary grant of Rs170 million to introduce the geographic information system (GIS) in city police stations, as “the existing Police Record and Office Management Information System (PROMIS) was not up to the mark”, The Express Tribune has learnt.
An official of the chief minister’s secretariat said there was no need for the proposed system as its functions (primarily automation and networking) overlapped with those of the Police Record and Office Management Information System.
The National Police Bureau had introduced at PROMIS at the cost of Rs1.4 billion in 2006 to automate records at police stations and offices. The idea was to introduce basic information technology infrastructure to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of police and the automation of police station records, including FIRs and office management systems to offer better public service.
Under the system, as many as 212 police stations (including the 83 police stations in Lahore) and 40 offices in the province were linked.
Last month, the inspector general of the police submitted a summary to the chief minister asking for Rs170 million supplementary grant to introduce the GIS for effective crime mapping and crime analysis to identify crime hotspots in the city. The IG said that the new system would help allocate police contingents and ensure timely deployment of force to respond to any emergencies and help avoid any untoward incidents. The system would also help in the installation of IT paraphernalia in the 83 police stations of the city, he said.
The chief minister had sent the summary to secretaries of the Home Department and Finance Department for input and review of the demand on merit. The Finance Department observed that the demand was not justified as a similar system (PROMIS) was already in place. The Home Department said that the police was not using the PROMIS to its full potential and had not been able to justify its aims and objectives for the funds. It was a “piecemeal demand” that could not be fulfilled, the department observed. The chief minister agreed to viewpoints of both departments but turned down the request, advising police to use the existing system.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2014.
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This is pretty sad, short sighted and seems to be an unfortunate uninformed approach.
Was it that the business case (if there was one) was not up to scratch to communicate the need, or was it ignorance by the decision makers declining this.
I am not sure how you could do police work without spatial awareness. Just look at the proliferation of maps recently for the missing airliner as an example - now imagine trying to understand that event without a map.
Google for GIS + Police, or Public Safety, or Law Enforcement.
Research Benefits Analysis, Business case, and Return on Investment for GIS.
If any within the organisations affected would like some technical expert support, I would be happy to provide basic advice and assistance at no cost.