Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has launched a new app, YAKSH, aimed at making the state police force more high-tech and efficient. The app is designed to strengthen beat policing while digitally storing comprehensive records of criminals.
Earlier, criminal histories were maintained in physical registers, a system that had been in place for decades. Under the state government’s push to leverage technology, this manual practice is now being replaced with a high-tech surveillance and data management system. The launch of the YAKSH app marks a significant step in this direction, enabling complete digital monitoring and easier access to criminal records for the police.
How will the app prove to be an effective weapon for the police?
A control room for the YAKSH app has been established at the headquarters of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF). The police will now put all their data online for this app. Police personnel at beat stations will have accurate information about their beats through the app. Every criminal’s photo, voice sample, and all related information will be available on this app.
It is believed that the app will prove to be an effective weapon for the Uttar Pradesh Police in preventing digital crime and apprehending criminals. After apprehending any fraudster, their photo and voice sample will be taken so that in the future, the police will have complete details of that criminal and their gang through the app. Like ChatGPT, the police will now use CrimeGPT. The Uttar Pradesh Police will have complete oversight on every aspect related to crime and criminals.
Major steps taken by the Yogi government for crime control
Anti-Mafia Task Force: Symbolic use of ‘bulldozers’ to seize or demolish the illegal properties of land mafia and organized criminals. So far, illegal properties worth billions of rupees have been confiscated. UPCOCA (Uttar Pradesh Control of Organized Crime Act): Modeled after Maharashtra’s MCOCA, this law was implemented in Uttar Pradesh to crack down on organized crime.
Operation Clean: The police were given a free hand to apprehend wanted and rewarded criminals, resulting in thousands of encounters.
Anti-Romeo Squad: Special police teams were formed to curb harassment of women.
Mission Shakti: A comprehensive campaign was launched for the safety, respect, and empowerment of women and girls.
Pink Booths and Women’s Helpline: Deployment of female police officers in public places and strengthening of helplines like 1090 were implemented.
Operation Conviction: This campaign was launched to expedite evidence collection and court proceedings to ensure the swift conviction of criminals.
Commissionerate System: The police commissionerate system was implemented in major cities like Lucknow, Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida), Kanpur, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Agra, and Prayagraj to give the police direct decision-making authority.
Expansion of Forensic Labs: The number of Forensic Science Laboratories (FSLs) in the state has been increased from 4 to 12, with several more under construction.
Cyber Police Stations: Cyber police stations have been established in all 75 districts to combat cybercrime.
