Helpdesk set up to answer queries of IOs

Bhubaneswar: With three new criminal laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) — coming into force on Monday, Odisha police set up a helpdesk to address queries and issues raised by investigating officers (IOs) on their implementation.
The helpdesk, constituted at State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) here, has a team of IT, police and law officers to help field personnel in overcoming teething troubles.
“Our helpdesk is ready to assist IOs on technical, administrative, policing and legal matters relating to the new criminal laws. Control rooms have also been set up in districts to guide the IOs for seamless transition to the new system. The state crime branch is closely monitoring implementation of the new laws,” DGP Arun Sarangi said.
He said a series of software modifications have been made to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) application to facilitate technological compatibility under the new laws to help people file an e-FIR without visiting a police station, and a zero FIR, which can be lodged irrespective of jurisdiction of the crime location.
“If any IOs encounter any technical issues while registering an FIR on the CCTNS, our helpdesk experts will remotely access the systems of the IOs and address the glitches,” Sarangi said, adding that all 6,500 IOs of Odisha police have been trained.
The top cop said the crime branch has prepared at least 17 standard operating procedures (SOPs) that would be circulated to all police stations in the state.