Say Hi to lodge a complaint: Kanker cops ‘smart’ move

Raipur: Kanker police on Sunday launched a WhatsApp-based complaint portal to allow residents to register grievances, track their status and send feedback by sending a 'Hi' without visiting a police station.The initiative, billed as a step towards "smart policing", aimed to make police services more accessible, transparent and technology-driven, Kanker SP Nikhil Rakhecha said.Residents could send "Hi" or "Namaste" to 94791-55125 on WhatsApp and receive two options: register a complaint or check the status of an already filed complaint.To lodge a complaint, a citizen had to reply with 1, after which the system sought the required details and generated a complaint entry. Each complaint was assigned a unique number, enabling the complainant to track its progress. Those wanting a status update could reply with 2 to view the latest position of their case.Police said the message reached an AI based dashboard to monitor and ensure time bound, quality disposal of complaints.Police said the system aimed not only at convenience, but also at accountability. A digital monitoring dashboard was developed to review complaints police station-wise and ensure continuous tracking of disposal. The dashboard, officials said, helped ensure that complaints were resolved within a fixed time frame and that the quality of resolution was also monitored.Once a complaint was disposed of, the complainant was able to share feedback on the same WhatsApp number, giving police a direct measure of public satisfaction and helping improve service delivery.Officials described the platform as part of a broader push towards digital governance and police modernisation in the district. The police administration appealed to residents to make full use of the facility and send their complaints directly through the portal.