Bengaluru police helpline buzz: Whitefield, East divisions top caller charts

Bengaluru: Over the last three months, Bengaluru’s bustling tech hubs in East and Whitefield divisions have emerged as the primary contributors to the police helpline calls, with 15 of the top 20 areas generating the most calls hailing from these divisions.

Banaswadi and KR Puram police station limits took the lead with 1,894 and 1,817 calls, respectively, despite having more Hoysala patrol vehicles. Surprisingly, their response times exceeded those of other stations, the data reveals. 

The eastern division stations, covering six to eight square kilometres, double the area of other city stations, and face an average response time fluctuating between 7 and 8 minutes.

Response time is the duration it takes for the Hoysala vehicle to get to a crime scene after receiving the call. A police officer overseeing beat patrolling said the average response time in other areas is between 6.5 and 7 minutes.

Raman Gupta, Additional Commissioner of Police (East), attributed the longer response times to the larger area covered by police stations in the eastern division. Stressing the critical nature of every second in helpline response, Gupta credited scientific methods for ongoing improvements.

He explained that the eastern division’s “narrowest” roads make it harder for patrol vehicles to navigate. If all vehicles are engaged, it takes more time to reach the scene after resolving the existing complaint.

The eastern division’s mixed demography contributes to law and order issues, leading to increased helpline calls, Gupta said. The calls are primarily about petty crimes, family disputes, and thefts.

The tech hub of Whitefield sees incidents like chain snatching, phone thefts, and road robberies. It has several paying guest digs, apartments, developing areas, and a high floating population. 

Areas like KR Puram and Banaswadi are dominated by family disputes and trivial neighbourly conflicts.

What is response time? 

Response time is the duration it takes for the Hoysala vehicle to get to a crime scene after receiving the call.

Tech glitches

A police officer, speaking anonymously, noted a significant rise in response time over the last two months in Whitefield and KR Puram, following a software upgrade at the command centre. He was hopeful that things will improve once the officers get familiar with the technology.

“At times, our messages do not reach the patrolmen on time due to network issues. We have to manually call them to provide the case details,” the officer said, noting that meetings are being held to resolve the glitches.