The CCTNS system aims to connect all police stations in the country through an online platform on which all FIRs would be uploaded and be accessible to all. With the entire country to benefit from the scheme, this makes it an important topic for both UPSC Civil Services Prelims and Mains exam. In this article, we have provided the definition, vision, objectives, and benefits of the CCTNS.
What is the CCTNS Project?
CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems) is a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of Govt. of India. CCTNS aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of policing. This vision will be achieved by adopting the principle of e-Governance and the creation of nationwide networking infrastructure for the evolution of IT-enabled-state-of-the-art tracking system around 'Investigation of crime and detection of criminals'. An allocation of Rs. 2000 crores have been made for CCTNS Project. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the project on 19.06.2009.
CCTNS Implementation Framework
- CCTNS would be implemented in alignment with the NeGP principle of "centralized planning and de-centralized implementation".
- MHA and NCRB would play a key role in planning the program in collaboration with the Police leadership within States. Role of the Centre (MHA and NCRB) focuses primarily around planning, providing the Core Application Software (CAS) (to be configured, customized, enhanced, and deployed in States.
- States and UTs that would drive the planning and implementation at the State level after deployment by the Centre.
Vision of CCTNS
Under the CCTNS Project approx. 14,000 Police Stations throughout the country will be interconnected. Besides this, 6000 higher offices in police hierarchy e.g. Circles, Sub-Divisions, Districts, Range, Zones, Police Headquarters, SCRBx including scientific and technical organizations having databases required for providing assistance and information for investigation and other purposes e.g. Finger Print Bureaux, Forensic Labs, etc. will also be automated for better functioning in the Police System.
Objectives of CCTNS
- Make the Police functioning citizen friendly and more transparent by automating the functioning of Police Stations.
- Improve the delivery of citizen-centric services through effective usage of ICT.
- Provide the Investigating Officers of the Civil Police with tools, technology, and information to facilitate investigation of crime and detection of criminals.
- Improve Police functioning in various other areas such as Law and Order, Traffic Management, etc.
- Facilitate Interaction and sharing of Information among Police Stations, Districts, State/UT headquarters, and other Police Agencies.
- Assist senior Police Officers in better management of Police Force
- Keep track of the progress of Cases, including in Courts
- Reduce manual and redundant Records keeping
Stakeholders of the CCTNS Project
- Citizens/ Citizens groups
- MHA/NCRB
- State Police department
- External Departments of the State such as Courts, Passport Office, Transport Department, Hospitals, etc.
- Non-Government/Private sector organizations
Benefits of CCTNS
⇒ Benefits to Citizens
- Multiple channels to access services from the police.
- Simplified process for registering petitions.
- Simplified process for accessing general services such as requests for certificates, verifications, and permissions.
- Simplified process and accurate means of tracking the progress of the case during trials.
- Simplified and accurate access to view/report unclaimed/recovered vehicles and property.
- Simplified process and channel for grievance registration.
- Improved relationship management for victims and witnesses.
- Faster and assured response from police to any emergency calls for assistance.
⇒ Benefits to MHA/NCRB
- Standardized means of capturing the crime and criminal data across the police stations in the country.
- Faster and easier access to crime and criminal information across the country in a manner amenable for trend and pattern analysis.
- Enhanced ability to detect crime patterns through modus operandi across the States/UTs and communicate to the state police departments for aiding in crime prevention.
- The ability to respond faster and with greater accuracy to inquiries from the parliament, citizens, and citizens groups; and to RTI queries.
- Easy and low-cost scalability of crime and criminal systems in the future.
⇒ Benefits to State Police Department
- Enhanced tools for investigation.
- Centralized crime and criminal information repository along with the criminal images and fingerprints with advanced search capabilities.
- Enhanced ability to analyze crime patterns and/ or modus operandi
- Enhanced ability to analyze road incidents and other accidents.
- Faster turnaround time for the analysis results (criminal and traffic) to reach the officers on the field.
- Reduced workload for the police stations back-office activities such as preparation of regular and ad-hoc reports and station records management.
- A collaborative knowledge-oriented environment where knowledge is shared across different regions and units.
- Better coordination and communication with external stakeholders through the implementation of electronic information exchange systems.
⇒ Benefits To External Department
- Seamless integration with police systems for better citizen service delivery and improved law enforcement.
- A quick exchange of accurate information with the police department.
