Days before new criminal law, why cops are rushing to buy new phones

Ghaziabad: Cops in the city have been allotted a budget of Rs 2.5 crore to buy smartphones and other devices so that they can present electronic evidence in court.The move comes days before the new criminal law — Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita — is enforced across the country. Under the new law, it is mandatory for police to collect video evidence of the crime scene and the subsequent investigation. The budget was approved by the police headquarters in Lucknow.

“A mobile phone recording will now be considered admissible evidence under the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which will replace the CrPC. Under the new rules, cops will have to make videos of all crime incidents from the beginning till the closure of the investigation. The new rules will come into effect from July 1,” an officer explained.The budget has been sanctioned for 12 types of gadgets, such as tablets, laptops, high-end mobile phones, and video cameras, among others.Cops in the city will buy one smartphone, a laptop and video cameras for a forensic van. Apart from these, there will be 12 new pen drives, hard disks, 28 smartphones, 28 toners, and 28 tablets for 28 police stations.Each of 628 beat officers across the city will be given a smartphone each.“So far, the forensic team recorded only limited videos of crime scenes. But now, they will have to record every step — starting from their entry at the crime scene to their exit. This will serve as evidence in court,” the officer said.Police chief Ajay Kumar Mishra said they had already prepared a list of key devices that could be used in crime investigation. “Now that the budget has been sanctioned, we will acquire the items soon,” Mishra said.“These recordings will improve police officers’ image because people often tend to raise questions about suspects and items recovered from them. Currently, only 340 body-worn cameras are used by traffic cops. With the new rules coming into force, more police officers will be able to record the investigation. So, in case of any harassment, everything will be on record and for the court to see,” he added.

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