Bengaluru gets Rs 30-cr emergency response service

Bengaluru, June 10 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday launched Namma 100, a re-christened and upgraded emergency response service Dial 100 of Bengaluru police.

"The police department should focus on utilisation of latest technology to reach people in emergency. The state government is ready to allocate funds for this purpose," Siddaramaiah said after launching the Namma 100 at the Police Command Centre here.

"Similar helplines will be launched in the districts in the near future," he said.

The Rs 30-crore upgraded emergency response service has 100 phone lines as against 20 of Dail 100. Around 275 employees will take up to 8,000 calls per day as against around 3,000 calls received by Dial 100 on a daily basis.

Namma 100 aims to be the go-to telephone number for emergency services, much like 911 in the US and 999 in Britain. It will also cater to people seeking help on social media.

The service aims to drastically reduce the time to address a complaint and rush police patrol cars to crime spots.

The police control room staff will take just two minutes to understand a complaint and a mere 30 seconds to alert the nearest Hoysala patrol car to reach the spot.

The staff will be able to identify the exact location of the caller with an enhanced Global Positioning System (GPS) and assisted real-time technology with the help of the telecom department.

"Call response will be in 15 seconds and Hoysala intervention in less than 15 minutes," Bengaluru Commissioner of Police Praveen Sood said.

Namma 100 has added features. One can dial 100 and press one for police, two for traffic and three for enquiry and appointments.