Tap for help: New e-beat app to bring Chandigarh Police closer to citizens

In a bid to improve citizen-police contact and strengthen community policing, the Chandigarh Police have developed a dedicated e-Beat mobile app that promises to bring the local police closer to residents—both literally and digitally.

The application has features designed to cut down response time, improve accountability and enhance grievance redressal for the citizens of Chandigarh. It has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and is expected to be launched within a month.

With just a few taps, citizens will be able to locate their nearest local police station, identify their beat area and directly call the respective beat officer through the app. Through the easy-to-use interface, users can report complaints, raise concerns and even make service requests, all of which will be routed in real-time to the station house officer (SHO) concerned.

The SHO will further assign the task to the respective beat officer digitally, ensuring real-time accountability and quicker action.

Integrated with 112 helpline

The app will work hand in hand with the 112 Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), further enhancing the existing emergency mechanisms.

While 112 calls are attended to by the Police Control Room (PCR), the e-Beat App will enable local police officers to respond simultaneously, thereby cutting down on critical response time—particularly important in sensitive cases involving women, children or urgent public safety issues.

“During emergencies, citizens can call 112, which is integrated with the e-Beat app. The nearest beat officer will receive an alert through the app and respond promptly, significantly improving our response time. Additionally, all citizen verifications will now be processed through this platform,” said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur.

Enhanced transparency

The app also brings transparency to how complaints are handled. Beat constables and head constables, who operate at the grassroots level, will be responsible for gathering crime-related data, updating the system and interacting with complainants.

Investigating officers (IOs) will update case progress and ensure information is communicated to all stakeholders. Further, SSPs and the police headquarters will analyse data trends to improve strategies, monitor staff performance and ensure citizen satisfaction.

How does it differ from the old system

Unlike the earlier manual and digital systems, the new e-Beat mobile app provides a central, real-time and reliable way to collect and use police data.

Earlier, records were written by hand and often repeated at different levels, causing duplicity. The old app moved to digital entry, but still lacked real-time updates and proper data analysis.

The new app removes the need for paperwork completely. All data will be saved on a central server, making it easy to access and analyse for crime prevention and monitoring staff performance.

It also connects with emergency services (like 112), supports direct communication with citizens and gives senior officers better tools to track and manage police work—features that weren’t available in older systems.