NEWS – Bengaluru Police is integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) to enhance efficiency and reduce response times.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Current Status: Testing is underway with promising results; full rollout expected soon.
• Response Time Improvement: The existing 10–11 minute average response time is set to reduce with AI handling initial call triaging.
• Functionality: The AI system is being trained using historical emergency data (murder, theft, fire, etc.) to issue suitable responses.
• Multilingual Capability: The AI will support major Indian languages and popular foreign ones (French, Spanish, Arabic), improving accessibility.
• Voice Assistant: A conversational voice assistant will guide callers in their chosen language during emergencies.
• Human Role Still Crucial: Initially, human intervention will be necessary for sensitive and complex situations.
• Crank Call Management: Of 26.92 lakh calls in 2024, 58% were blank or crank calls; AI may reduce their impact on human operators.
• Protection for Operators: With many women operators receiving abusive calls, AI offers a safer alternative for initial screening.
• Next Steps: Tender has been floated; rollout is expected sooner than initially projected.