As part of the total modernization of intelligence system, the government of Kerala has decided to provide broad-band Internet connections to all police headquarters, and cell phones to all police personnel in the State.

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan stated that cell phones would be offered to all State police members without charging any cost.

The minister also said that presently only officers of the rank of sub inspector and above enjoy this facility.

Moreover, the government entered a deal with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for providing connections to around 40,000 police constables.

The police personnel would avail themselves of the facility during their service and will need to surrender it on retirement.

In an official release, Mr. Balakrishnan said that the landline as well as cell phone numbers of the police personnel would be brought under a single network.

Free calls would be permitted from each phone to one mobile and one landline phone number outside the network. For each connection, Rs 100 would be charged on a monthly basis.

There would be no charge for calls to numbers came under the network.

Mr. Balakrishnan also told that the private network connections approved to policemen previously would be shifted to the BSNL network.

He said that all 436 police stations in the State would get broadband Internet connections and hereafter, all complaints that come to the police stations would be computerised.

The government had already decided to expand video-conferencing facilities between courts and jails.

Dr. Alexander Jacob, Additional Director General of Police, who has been heading the Kerala Police Academy for many years, welcomed the decision.

“Any tool for speeding up the communication between police officials will benefit the common man. Today for the around 55,000 police force, all what we have is 2,000 wireless sets. But then it has its negatives too. Like any other tool, this instrument, if misused, could see secrets from within the four walls of the police station go out,” he said.

“But then such things can be taken care of also,” he said.