Ahmedabad cops on seniors' radar 24x7

AHMEDABAD: The men in khaki are a suspicious lot - even when it comes to keeping an eye on their own men. After a number of incidents around the city and complaints that some of the areas are not getting enough attention, some of the police officials have resorted to technology to keep an eye on the PCR vans primarily deployed to patrol the streets.
Two police stations in western city parts have equipped the vans with GPS system connected with SMS delivery system. According to policemen, the senior officials can send an SMS to the given number and get an SMS in 10 seconds with details of the location along with time.
Talking about the initiative, a senior city police official said that many a time it happens that while the PCR personnel give their 'official' location to the control room, their actual location is somewhere else. While they claim that they are patrolling the area, in fact they are stationed at one point.
Kinnar Shah, an auto dealer who supplied the system, said that the GPS tracker is installed at fusing point of the car's battery with its mechanism and is difficult to tamper with. "The vehicle tracking system not only gives the name of the location but also speed of the vehicle. It would also show if the ignition is off or on. In advanced settings, the police officials can even chart the route of the vehicle and can shut it off by sending an SMS," he said.
P M Sarvaiya, inspector of Navrangpura police station, said that they have started the experiment recently to ascertain efficiency of the system. "Every police station has been given two such vans that are constantly on road and show presence of the police," he said.