Bhubaneswar: Police stations in the twin cities will get modern electronic gadgets - such as laptops, smart phones, Internet dongles and digital audio-recorders - for easier investigation of various cases and uploading of case records in electronic format.

Police commissioner Y.B. Khurania said that more than 40 such kits were recently distributed among inspectors of police stations and assistant commissioners of police of various zones. The kit also included 35 other small instruments that will come handy for investigation at the spots of crime. Each kit costs around Rs 91,000.

"We will also conduct a training programme for effective use of the kits," said Khurania. In the first phase, the kits will be provided to all police stations in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. "We have set a target of providing similar kits to every investigating officer in the future. The kits will also help in implementation of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)," said another police officer.

The CCTNS project, a Centre-sponsored programme, is aimed at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of policing at police station level through e-governance. According to the project, details of convicted criminals and accused will be kept in a database along with biometric evidences, such as fingerprint and retina scan copies.

In December last year, body cameras and dashboard cameras were distributed among the personnel to keep a close watch on traffic violations.