Dhaka: The interim government has announced plans to introduce a shortcode alongside a police hotline service to combat violence against women. This initiative is part of a broader government effort to digitize police services, as revealed in a press release from the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, stated that the government is in the process of developing a Police Command App. This app aims to facilitate police operations and secure internal communications within the Bangladesh Police. The modernization efforts also include tools like incident tracking software for complaint management, a shortcode system, and an online platform for filing General Diaries (GD) and First Information Reports (FIRs).
Taiyeb explained that complaints of violence against women can be submitted by dialing 333, adding another 3 to the national helpline 333, or by selecting the service option and pressing 3 to forward the call to the police call center. The government plans to staff the call center entirely with women to encourage more women to come forward with complaints.
Despite the time-consuming process of expanding the 999 life-saving SOS service, the 3333 service will not be integrated into the 999 system at this time. The government is also contemplating a fully female staff for the 3333 call center.
Taiyeb highlighted that changes are underway for filing general diaries online, with an online FIR system being developed. This system will allow calls to be directly routed to the relevant police station once the profile is downloaded at the call center. Work is progressing on a database of phone numbers for police station officials to support this initiative.
The ICT Department will provide all necessary technical support to implement these projects. A prototype of the police command app is already completed, and further development is ongoing in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Taiyeb pointed out that police currently use WhatsApp for internal communication, which poses risks of time wastage and information leakage. To address this, the Information and Communication Technology Department is developing the ‘Push to Talk’ app for police officers, designed to prevent information leakage.
Within the Police Command App, there will be several levels of communication among police officers, with top officers, including the Inspector General of Police (IGP), at Tier-1. The next tier includes police headquarters, range DIG, and police superintendents at the district level. However, police personnel at the station level will not yet be included in the command app.
Currently, traditional communication methods are employed during investigations, with the Police Command Centre staff engaged in these activities. The shift to a unified platform for communications is intended to streamline processes, modeled after mobile companies’ customer management systems. All communication will be logged in this tracking system, providing a clear record of actions taken in response to crime incidents.
Taiyeb concluded that the initiative will simplify service provision, save time, and reduce the workload for police personnel.