HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY: Police personnel of Cyberabad limits are equipped with laptops for filing FIR, scene of offence records and other information online. -- Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: There is little connection between `lathis' and laptops. But the Cyberabad police find the baton and the laptop equally useful. The other day, the owner of a lorry involved in a fatal accident approached the Vanasthalipuram police station Sub-Inspector Ravinder Prasad, arguing that the lorry driver was not at fault. The owner claimed that the victim came on the wrong direction and the position of the lorry at the accident spot proved this claim.

The lorry owner was shocked when the police officer booted his laptop and showed the pictures of the accident scene to disprove the owner's claim. "I reached the spot first, and took snaps of the accident site with my mobile phone. I uploaded the pictures on to the laptop," he told the surprised vehicle owner.

Indispensable tool

This was only one of the hundreds of examples where the laptop had become indispensable to the police now. From details of FIRs to details of investigation, anything and everything is readily available at the click of the mouse.

How did the police latch onto the use of laptops? Some officers of Cyberabad who had undergone computer training took a cue from corporate executives. Some of them began experimenting with the laptops and in no time many of them realised the usefulness of a laptop.

Loans offered

Then the Ranga Reddy police cooperative housing society came to their help. It offered 35 officers loans of Rs. 35,000 each. The officers bought laptops on instalments, says Cyberabad Commissioner M. Mahender Reddy. Asked about results of the new initiative, Mr. Reddy said it definitely helped his officers improve their performance but a new problem had cropped up from an unexpected quarter. Now every SI and Inspector is asking for training and everyone wants a laptop.

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