Patna: Bihar’s single emergency helpline, Dial-112, has completed four successful years of service, transforming the delivery of emergency assistance across the state. Since its launch, the system has provided assistance to more than 60 lakh citizens through 1,833 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) and has become the first point of contact for police, ambulance, fire and women’s safety services.With an average response time of 10 minutes, Dial-112 is credited with saving thousands of lives and handling more than 43 lakh critical cases, ranging from domestic violence to road accidents. The milestone was celebrated on Monday at a function held at the Police Headquarters auditorium. Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar attended the pgoramme as the chief guest, along with DG (Special Branch) Kundan Krishnan and other senior officers.Dial-112 services were launched in the state by former chief minister Nitish Kumar on July 6, 2022.The DGP lauded the force for maintaining a 10-minute average response time and felicitated personnel who had rendered exemplary service with certificates of appreciation.“Dial-112 has grown into one of the most accessed public services in Bihar. At present, the network of 1,833 ERVs attends to an average of 7,500 citizens every day — a figure that marks a 10% increase over last year,” the DGP said.Over the past four years, 5.29 lakh cases of domestic violence and crimes against women received immediate intervention, while 35.32 lakh local disputes were resolved through on-the-spot police response. The service also responded to 2.73 lakh road accidents with coordinated police and ambulance support.The helpline integrates police, ambulance, fire brigade, highway patrol and women and child helplines under a single number, eliminating the need for citizens to remember multiple emergency contacts.The DGP further said, “A key focus of Dial-112 has been women’s safety. The Command and Control Centre in Patna is entirely staffed by trained women police personnel who handle calls with sensitivity and speed. To further strengthen safety, the ‘Surakshit Safar Suvidha’ was launched in Sept 2024. Under this initiative, more than 224 women travelling alone have been tracked and monitored until they reached their destinations safely.”Looking ahead, the department plans to roll out a ‘One-Click SOS App’ equipped with movement tracking and hideout alerts for women. The app will also be integrated with cab aggregators, as well as other public transport services, enabling distress alerts to be sent simultaneously to Dial-112 and the service provider.ADG (Technical & Wireless Services) Amit Lodha announced that Dial-112 will be upgraded to a Next Generation Emergency Response System (NGERSS).“The upgrade will use AI to identify crime hotspots and enable proactive policing before incidents occur. To increase transparency and accountability, body-worn cameras for police personnel and dash cameras on ERVs will be introduced in phases,” Lodha said.He added that, to ensure operational continuity, a Mirror Emergency Response Centre (MERC) will be established in Gaya in addition to the existing centre in Patna. The backup facility will ensure that emergency services remain uninterrupted during technical failures or disasters.
