Smartphones will add a new dimension to mobile policing

Equipping the redoubtable policemen of Haryana with the latest mobile phone so that they can catch people violating traffic regulations is an ode to the touching faith officialdom has in the superior ability of the mobile phone. Why else would they opt for this method instead of the conventional cameras mounted on poles that other countries use to automatically photograph speeding infringements within range?

A mere click of their trusty mobiles will send the data to the back offices for challans to be slapped on the offenders, complete with the telltale photographs, it seems. The top brass obviously believe that our men in uniform will be in the peak physical form needed to carry out the arduous task of nabbing speedfreaks and other traffic infringers by merely standing by the highway, their sleek smartphones held aloft, come rain or shine. Expecting khaki crusaders to become pole-icemen is surely a tad harsh.

But it is certainly a step up for the ubiquitous phone-camera too, hitherto in the limelight only for grainy images of celebrities caught offguard or seamy MMSes. It may, of course, be a ploy to overcome Indians’ legendary capacity to circumvent every method devised to rein them in. After all, how long would it take for word to get around about the exact placement of camera poles so that all potential violaters can be on guard?

Even the earlier ploy of hiding speed cameras on mobile police Gypsies has had diminishing returns as violators’ antennae are now geared to spot them. A policeman with a mobile may indeed be harder to spot. So it’s win-win for everyone except the potential offender: the policemen get new mobiles, the department get more challans, and of course, cellphone companies and backoffices get more business!