Police force to get digital tracking unit

JAKARTA (JP): The Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology has offered the National Police a digital vehicle tracking system to help improve the force's efficiency, the National Police chief said late last week.

Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo said the high technology Global Positioning System would increase police mobility and efficiency.

"The digital tracking system would be useful not only to monitor the location of police mobile units but also to transmit quickly details about the location of incidents," Dibyo said.

He also said the adoption of such a system would be very effective in coordinating the flow of information between mobile units and police headquarters.

"Mobile units provided with such a system could also be used to help the police monitor the May 29 general election," he said following a demonstration at National Police Headquarters involving two police cars equipped with the proposed system.

The head of the agency's Directorate for Technology and Natural Resources Inventory, Indroyono Gunawan, said the Global Positioning System was supported by 24 satellites which would enable all nine police precincts in the Greater Jakarta area to be covered.

"The digital system, which provides the exact geographical position of each mobile unit, will also enable the police to map all areas under its authority," he said.

Touching on the investment of the project, Indroyono said each Global Positioning System monitor cost at least Rp 5 million (US$2,083). (04)