The Mumbai Police’s current wireless technology is on an analog system APCO project 16
Rohit Alok
In a move to equip themselves with the latest technology and boost inter-departmental communication, the Mumbai Police are revamping their force’s wireless section by phasing out their current wireless connections with more sophisticated radio tools.
Senior police officers have called the new system “interoperable and more refined”. According to them, the Mumbai Police requires at least 2,500 walky talky pieces and have placed a demand of Rs 54 crore for the entire project but have only been sanctioned Rs 3 crore.
“The upgradation was required as it was due time. The phasing out began in June last year, we have started some of the testing at Aarey police station,” said Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police, law and order.
Senior officers said that the first shipment of the consignment contained 150 new walky talkies and one network management system that is installed at Aarey police station.
“The agenda is primarily to improve and enhance the spectrum utilisation of our wireless setup. We are upgrading to modern communication equipment — our current wireless technology is more than 15 years old,” said a senior police officer.
The Mumbai Police’s current wireless technology is on an analog system APCO project 16, where the propriety is with one company and the system has several disadvantages including its lack of compatibility with other radio communication tools, police said.
“The new system, APCO 25 (phase II) will enable more efficient operations. One of the main features is that an operator could listen to two frequencies rather than the existing method of switching to single frequency at a time. For instance, one could listen to updates from south region and a VVIP bandobast, but both frequency channels will be divided by time slots, depending on what information comes first,” said a senior police officer.
Police said that last year after the Wireless Planning & Coordination Wing (WPC) a branch of Department of Telecommunications allocated a frequency to the Mumbai Police, APCO project 25 (phase II) was set in motion with the first order of walky talkies delivered in June and a technical check done in December. However, the senior police officers claim that the project is hardly moving forward due to a shortage of funds sanctioned by the central government. “There is a list for tenders put out and the bidding is still ongoing. The plan is to get a wireless system that would sustain for the next 15 years and would be compatible to the next system that we will upgrade to,” said a senior police officer.
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) is a US-based firm that serves public safety communications through a series of projects.
rohit.alok@expressindia.com