The CCTV surveillance network in Mumbai will be fully operational by the end of October, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday.
Speaking at the launch of 42 cyber laboratories across the state on Monday, the CM said Nagpur and Pune will get similar networks soon. “Maharashtra has proved to be the first state to launch Criminal Tracking Network System which has connected all the police stations digitally. Citizens in Pune are now able to lodge their complaints online,” he said.
The state government now plans to train 1,000 police personnel and officers to combat cybercrimes. With cyber labs in every district, the state hopes the detection and conviction rate of all crimes will increase.
While Fadnavis launched the cyber laboratory at World Trade Centre in Mumbai, guardian ministers of 34 districts inaugurated the labs in their respective districts simultaneously. Moreover, nine police commissionerates in charge of big cities, too, are equipped with laboratories.
The state plans to create labs for the anti-corruption bureau (ACB), anti-terrorism squad (ATS), crime investigation department (CID), railway commissionerate and the state intellegence bureau.
“At a time when the country is marching towards digital India, cities and villages are getting smarter. We are set to digitize 500 gram panchayats. While the government is prepared to maximize its use of technology, criminals too are adopting newer ways to commit the crime. The laboratory network will offer cyber security to private institutions, including banks,” Fadnavis said.
The state plans to spend Rs900 crore on the laboratories with state-of-the art technology. District-level cyber laboratories, which have been set up at a cost of Rs25 lakh each in the initial stage, will help the police procure forensic evidence. The laboratories will have facilities for CDR analysis, disc and mobile forensic, social media analysis, video-audio forensic, among others.
Currently, the state has laboratories in Mumbai and Pune. “Getting reports from these labs take months. The district laboratories will do it within hours. This will help them in detecting cases of theft and crimes related to women,” said a home department official.
Maharashtra gets 42 cyber laboratories
Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday inaugurated the cyber project at the World Trade Centre in Mumbai, making 42 cyber laboratories across the state operational to keep a check on cybercrimes and provide the much-needed technical help in investigation.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Fadnavis said, “With the inauguration of the cyber project, the Maharashtra police will be able to tackle the rising menace of cybercrime. The project was completed within the deadline thanks to Brijesh Singh, IG (cyber). We are the first to implement the crime and criminal tracking network & systems (CCTNS), which will connect all police stations.”
“We are trying to bring Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune under CCTV surveillance. Now, people can file complaints online in Pune. We are making improvements to forensic labs,” he said.
Singh said, “These labs will provide us with the much-needed technical capability such as tracking locations, transactions and CDR analytics for investigation. This is the first phase. While we have added indigenous tools for now, in a few months, we will get world-class tools.”
Satish Mathur, director general of police, said, “Cyber labs will help us in monitoring the social media. The aim is to prevent law and order problems arising out of social media posts and rumours spread on the Internet.”
KP Bakshi, additional chief secretary, home, said, “We will also provide cyber labs to the anti-terrorism squad and crime branch.”
Appreciating the initiative, a senior police officer from Thane said, “Seven police officers and 13 police constables will man the 13 workstations. Such a initiative was desperately needed. There has been a rise in cases of cybercrime in Thane. This might check its spread.