Better use of technology can help pre-empt crime by strangers

Last week, Bangalore woke up to the news of the brazen murder of an Andhra Pradesh-based businessman by a cab driver and his associates en route to the airport.

Though such incidents involving crimes on both cab drivers and passengers have been reported previously, there appears to be a lack of will in implementing simple, cost-effective and common-sense safeguards.

Even basic technological interventions, that now surround us in one form or the other, have not been explored to their potential.

Simple technology

For instance, even something as simple and everyday as a GPS (Global Positioning System)-enabled device could have saved the life of the Visakhapatnam jeweller Manoj Kumar Grandhi.

Today, there are several technology firms that work in this arena. Take for example Janani Tours and Resorts Private Ltd., which has installed a simple “panic button” in its cabs.

The passenger in distress can press it to send an emergency message to at least two people.

The technology also provides real time information on the movement and location of the vehicle.

How it works

Speaking about this device, managing director of the company Jagadish Kotian says one message is sent to the passenger's employer and the other to a control room operator hired by his company.

Readily admitting that his is not the only car rental company in the city which provides this service, he says: “The installation cost is Rs. 6,000 per vehicle and the recurring cost is less than Rs. 500 a month.”

Pratap Hegde, managing director, Telematics 4U Services Private Ltd., says: “These technologies have been around for several years. But their full potential has not been harnessed.” Talking of the features of one variant of the device being used by Mr. Kotian's company, he says: “We can make the device send emails as well. One message can be sent to a pre-programmed mobile belonging to a police officer.”

If a person were to press the “panic button” near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the system can be programmed in such a way that the SMS goes to the Police Inspector at Cubbon Park Station.

“Using this technology, we can even immobilise a vehicle in Kuwait from here,” he says.

Aswin Mahesh, Mapunity CEO and technology-in-governance expert, points out that several operators in the city do have GPS installed in their cabs.

“But they use it only for mundane things like tracking the vehicle's movement. There is so much more that the technology can be used for. We need to imbibe a culture of accountability,” he says.

Practical solutions

But Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pranab Mohanty is sceptical about the use of what he described as “high-tech gadgets”. He says, “Simple steps such as keeping a friend or relative informed about your movement, travelling in groups and talking to somebody over a phone while travelling at unearthly hours can go a long way.” Additional Commissioner of Police M.A. Saleem points out that Grandhi's cab had dark tinted windows.

“This is a clear violation of the Motor Vehicles Act.” But, according to him, it is the Transport Department that has to enforce the ban on such tinted glass. “The police is not even empowered to impose fines on violators,” he says.

H.V. Srirangarajan, operations manager with Capgemini, says: “In several American cities, there is a partition between the passenger and the driver which has a small slot through which the fare is passed to the driver. This way, both the driver and the passenger are safe.”