Goa Police Launches Hackathon to Develop Digital Policing Tools

Students to find tech solutions to policing problems - Times of India

Panaji: Goa police will hold its Hackathon 2024 for the second consecutive year, where students from across the state will compete and help the police come up with the technological solutions to everyday policing problems. With AI now a buzzword, and the rise in hacking of govt websites and radicalisation, the Goa Police Hackathon is looking for tech solutions. The students competing in Group A of the Goa Police Hackathon 2024 can either come up with a Social Media Monitoring (SMM) tool, an AI/ML system for detecting and categorising fraudulent online platforms, an AI-based tool to analyse religious preaching and identify radical content, an AI-based tool to assist visitors at police stations, or a vulnerability assessment tool for govt IT websites and mobile applications. Similarly, in Group B, the policing problems students can choose to resolve include creating a mobile application-based vehicle pass for traffic violation checks, a mobile application to map parking spaces with real-time vacancy information, a mobile application to locate nearest CCTV cameras for investigating officers, or e-bandobast (digital police personnel deployment and tracking tool). The event will take place at BITS Pilani Goa, and 23 teams will be able to compete. "Goa police is organising its second Hackathon to foster innovative technological solutions that aid policing efforts, making law enforcement more efficient and citizen-centric. The event invites participants to develop cutting-edge tools that address real-world challenges faced by law enforcement. The Hackathon encourages collaboration and creativity among Goa-based students to support the Goa police in addressing pressing issues related to cyber security, crime investigation, and more," said SP crime branch, Rahul Gupta. The registrations to participate in the Hackathon opened on Sep 17, and the abstract submission deadline is Sep 24. It will take place from Sep 27 to 29 from 7pm onwards each day.

Goa Police hackathon to reward students for developing digital policing tools

The tools will have to be developed as part of a hackathon, the second edition of which is being organised by the Goa Police this year with winning teams competing for a top prize of ₹50,000 in each of the categories. Amid fear of salary, pension blues in festive season yet again, teachers seek CM's intervention "The Hackathon is being organised as a partnership between Goa Police and students who can use their innovative thinking, technical knowhow and enthusiasm for building digital solutions for effective policing and assuring civil safety. All Goan students are invited regardless of the field they are pursuing to participate in this endeavour to ensure safety in the society through technological solutions for crime detection and prevention," Superintendent of Police Rahul Gupta said. According to the Police the Hackathon is being held to develop cutting-edge tools that address real-world challenges faced by law enforcement. The hackathon encourages collaboration and creativity among Goa-based students to support the Goa Police in addressing pressing issues related to cyber security, traffic management, crime investigation, and more. Also Read: Cabinet approves setting up of National Centre of Excellence for Animation on lines of IITs, IIMs Beginning on September 27 at 7pm and ending on September 29 at the same time, students will get 48 hours to develop the tools with a prize of ₹50,000 each for a group of four policing related problems while a prize of ₹25,000 for the teams that develop the tools to resolve a group of four traffic management related problems. The first group will have to deal with problems including developing a tool for social media monitoring, and artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) system for detecting and categorising fraudulent online platforms, an AI-based tool to analyse religious preaching and identify radical content, an AI-based tool to assist visitors at police stations and a vulnerability assessment tool for government IT websites and mobile applications. Check This: Rajasthan govt to provide 4 lakh jobs in next five years, claims CM Bhajanlal Sharma As part of the second group, teams of students will have to develop mobile applications for vehicle passes for traffic violation checks, to map parking spaces with real-time vacancy information, to locate nearest CCTV Cameras for investigating officers and a digital police personnel deployment and tracking tool. The Goa Police have described the hackathon as "the first step in partnership of socially responsible students with law enforcement agencies in building a safe and secure society."