The Uttar Pradesh police department’s Special Task Force (STF) has commenced the procurement process for an AI-powered Criminal Data Creation and Retrieval System, enhancing their capabilities in handling criminal data efficiently and effectively, according to media reports.  

The technology will help law enforcement agencies in the State to identify criminals by providing tools for matching face and voice.

By utilising this technique, the STF will maintain comprehensive profiles of individuals with a history of criminal activities. 

The Uttar Pradesh government anticipates that the implementation of this new system will expedite the disclosure of incidents and aid in the swift apprehension of the responsible criminals.

It’s noteworthy that this is not the first time Indian police is leveraging technology to fight crime. In Telangana, the state Police have introduced DOPAMS (Drug Offenders Profiling, Analysis & Monitoring System) – a software that helps the police build, update, and search profiles of known drug offenders.

The software helps the investigating officers to identify offenders based on the drug they deal in and the areas they operate in. DOPAMS helps the police identify the hot spots and monitor the cultivation and supply of drugs. It also maintains a database which is regularly updated with data from across the state. Hence, it facilitates centralised monitoring of all drug-related cases reported across the state.

Previously, Delhi Police has  used Facial recognition technology (FRT) to nab rioters in the capital city. Delhi Police used FRT in over 750 cases relating specifically to the north Delhi riots, which took place in February 2020. The tech has been used by Delhi Police to identify rioters in the 2021 Red Fort riot, which took place amid the farmers’ protest and the Jahangirpuri violence.