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AI Joins the Force: Maharashtra Police Deploys ‘Crime-OS’ for Smarter Investigations

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By Dheeraj Fartode  Imagine a police officer uploads an FIR and within seconds, an AI assistant begins planning the investigation. It write official letters, scan bank data and spot suspicious transactions. It sounds like science fiction - but it’s now reality in Maharashtra. The state police have started using Crime-OS, a powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool developed under the MARVEL project (Maharashtra Research and Vigilance for Enhanced Law Enforcement). This tool, built in partnership with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Nagpur, works like the co-pilot feature in Microsoft Office - but to solve crimes. It helps police save valuable time and reduces the heavy workload of investigations. Assistant Superitendent of Police (ASP) Deepak Agrawal explained that police investigations usually take a lot of time and effort. Crime-OS is designed to ease that burden. “For example, if a fraud case FIR is uploaded, the tool automatically picks out important information. It t...
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DGP Sanjeev Dayal to top cops in State: Want promotions? secure convictions

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  •  This in turn was result of senior officers’ attitude is not serious in ensuring their juniors do not take investigations lightly

By Dheeraj Fartode
The falling rate of conviction and shoddy investigations are two parts of same coin. Aiming to reverse the tide in Maharashtra, annual appraisal of Unit Commanders would now depend on conviction rate. Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjeev Dayal has drafted the new policy in a last ditch attempt to remove complacency that has set in the force.

DGP, Maharashtra of Police, Sanjeev Dayal
Senior officers were asked umpteen numbers of times to focus on ensuring that water tight cases are filed in the court to get conviction. But the large scale acquittal in sensational and also in not so sensational cases followed by chiding by courts, it was felt that unless top brass is brought in picture the scenario would not change. Hence, sources said, the new policy aims to ensure that annual confidential reports (ACRs), where favourable appraisal is gateway to promotions, is now linked to conviction to ensure force gets serious on the issue. Spl. Inspector General of Police (Law&Order), Maharashtra Police, Deven Bharti, circulated the DGP's vision to Unit Commanders recently. The January 14, 2013, circular by Bharti also reminded filed unit bosses that the matter was discussed at length during the DG's bi-annual conference.

Once Unit Commanders realise their appraisal that equals to promotion and conviction rate would go hand in hand, it should have desired impact on the field officers who would shed the chalta hai attitude. The improvement in investigation is below expectation, the letter states and identified its reason to Unit Commanders lack of personal involvement. “Annual evaluation of Unit Commanders will depend fairly on their performance on supervisory control, evaluation of evidence and proper scrutiny of case papers,” is the tenor of the circular issued on behalf of DGP.

At the bi-annual conference, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Home Minister R R Patil had addressed the top brass of Maharashtra Police. The meet is also time for brain storming and obviously declining rate of convictions figured prominently. And one of the prime culprit was obviously lack of dedication among lower rung staff about investigations. This in turn was result of senior officers’ attitude is not serious in ensuring their juniors do not take investigations lightly. Also the aim must be that cases should stand scrutiny in the court of law, the sources further said.

Role of supervisory officers, Sub Divisional Police Officers (SDPOs), Additional Superintendents of Police (Addl. SP) and Unit Commanders, either Commissioners of Police (CPs) or Superintendents of Police (SPs) is crucial in investigations, as they are supposed to guide investigating teams, proper scrutiny of case papers, evaluation of evidence so that chargesheet filed in court of law is water tight. But he lamented that these basic things are not happening the way outlined in police manual.

Further the DGP has outlined the role of supervisory control, insisting on regular visits by SDPOs wherein such minute aspects relating to follow-up of investigations, directions to field cops and screening of chargesheets are done on regular basis. And this can happen only when Unit Commanders is personally involved in policing. Finally the DGP has expected visible change in the matter without wasting any time.
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