Bhayandar: In case of any emergency, the customary helpline number which usually comes to our mind for seeking police assistance is undoubtedly “100”. However, in several parts of Mira-Bhayandar this emergency number of the Thane (rural) police is itself in need of help owing to technical issues.
For the past several days, distressed people who attempt calling the number are shocked to hear an automated reply “the dialled number has been temporarily disconnected”. The matter was brought to the notice of SP Dr Shivaji Rathod and Addl SP Sanjay Patil who said that they will check and do the needful.
Two years ago the Thane (rural) police had faced a similar issue when cross signals led to confusion and non-connectivity, at that time the problem was limited to a couple of mobile service providers. Any distress call on the police helpline number 100 are supposed to be directed to the respective police stations or to the control room which would find the nearest police van and attend to the caller as soon as possible.
In case of emergency, people can also call the control room at 022-25342784/ 25304883, an official said. To reduce the police-public communication gap, the Thane (rural) had launched the “Dial 100” project in 2012. Armed with Geographic Information System and Global Positioning System-enabled services, a high-tech control room was also set-up to integrate all existing police stations falling under the jurisdiction of the Mira Road division.