The Telangana police plan to implement artificial intelligence (AI) tools in their emergency response system to address the overwhelming number of non-emergency calls. A staggering 99.72% of the nearly 16 lakh calls received daily through the state’s integrated emergency response network do not lead to police action or emergency responses. This initiative aims to enhance the efficiency of system,which currently sees only about 4,500 calls a day resulting in actual police intervention.
The State’s Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) combines 112 emergency helpline with Dial 100,managing an average of 16 lakh calls daily. The 112 helpline,which serves as India’s unified emergency number for police,fire, medical,and disaster services, alone receives around 14 lakh calls each day. On particularly busy days, this number can rise to between 15 lakh and 16 lakh. Alarmingly,only 500 to 600 of these calls—approximately 0.04%—are classified as genuine emergencies that necessitate a dispatch of personnel after being screened through an interactive voice response system .
Officials have noted that between 1% and 2% of calls originate from outside Telangana,with a significant portion identified as spam. Dial 100,which handles around 20,000 calls daily, can see volumes soar to 50,000. Of these, roughly 4,000 calls,or about 20%,lead to police complaints or emergency responses. An official involved in ERSS operations remarked that many calls are made to follow up on earlier complaints or to report traffic issues and suspicious activities.
Call volumes tend to peak in the evening,starting around 7:30 p.m . and continuing late into the night. Domestic disputes and community-related issues represent the largest share of these calls, followed by incidents of distress and suicide. Seasonal changes also affect call patterns; for instance, the ongoing monsoon season has resulted in increased reports of traffic disruptions,waterlogging, and fallen trees.
Interestingly,despite surge in calls during evening hours, response times are often quicker at night. Officials attribute this to lighter traffic and fewer operational demands, allowing police teams to reach incident locations more efficiently. Currently,the average emergency response time in Hyderabad is about 15 minutes,while it ranges from 20 to 30 minutes in towns and rural areas.
With the current reliance on patrol vehicles for various duties,including court assignments and regular patrolling,resources are stretched thin. introduction of AI technology is expected to help streamline operations, enabling better management of competing priorities and ultimately improving response times for genuine emergencies .
