Hi-tech Bengaluru traffic police to get tougher with new smartphone app

Bengaluru Traffic Police is going the hi-tech route to nab traffic offenders and increase road safety in the city.

Soon traffic policemen with a pen and notepad will be a thing of the past, and they are now going to be wielding smartphones and simultaneously note down multiple violations with a camera-based app.

 A total of 250 traffic police officials posted across the city will be given these smartphones  In addition, cameras are mounted in important junctions of the city.

"In the first stage, we have provided 88 smartphones to our constables attached with traffic police stations in the Central Business District area, and the remaining will be distributed to other cops across the city,"  Hithendra, additional commissioner of police (traffic) said.

New smartphones with Violation Recording Mobile APP which is capable of automatic number plate recognition are now being supplied to junction level traffic police constables by @AddlCPTraffic

88 supplied in CBD area already.

Do not give our men a chance to 'shoot' you !! pic.twitter.com/DxYi8NqBMV

— DCP Traffic East (@DCPTrEastBCP) January 29, 2018

This app will automatically pick up numbers from the registration plate and send the data seamlessly to the Traffic Management System.

 "The smartphone can automatically recognise the number plate. The police personnel will take pictures of vehicles violating the traffic rules. It will be sent to the traffic management centre's server, where an online bill will be generated," a senior traffic police said.

Although there has been a gradual rise in traffic violations in the record, the Bengaluru Traffic Police believe that many offenders take advantage of the rush to avoid penalties. This also indirectly involves endangering lives often their own.

However, stricter enforcement has only resulted in the increase in number of reported violations and also drastic reduction in number of accidents.