Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS)

Why in news?
Home ministry is working on a project which will allow all SP-level police officers access to data-bases such as National Population Register, Aadhaar and Electoral Photo ID Card via the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) to enable online verification of the identity, address and criminal record, if any, of the passport applicant. 

About CCTNS:

• Connect 14k police station across 35 state/UT
• A nationwide network infra for evolution of IT enabled tracking system for investigation and detection of criminals

Fundamentals of CCTNS

• It aims to connect the police stations of the country to facilitate 
• collection
• storage
• retrieval
• analysis
• transfer and
• sharing of data and
• information at the police station and between the police  station and the State Headquarters and the Central Police Organizations.
• It’s a part of a Non-plan scheme called Common Integrated Police Application (CIPA).
• CCTNS is a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan of Govt of India.
• CCTNS would be a comprehensive database for crimes and criminals, and
• It would be easier for the law enforcement agencies to  track down a criminal moving from one place to another.
• It will bring more transparency as a person can lodge complaint online and get a status report of the complaint on-line too.

• ISRO will make satellite for CCTNS
• Earlier Thai satellite was being considered - but fear of eavesdropping
• High bandwidth charges being proposed by ISRO - thrice of Thai satellite(IPSTAR)

• CCTNS will get half of its VSAT from BSNL
• Remaining VSAT by ISRO satellite

Objectives of 'CCTNS'

• Make the Police functioning citizen friendly and more transparent by automating
• Improve delivery of citizen-centric services
• Facilitate Interaction and sharing of Information among Police Stations,
• Assist senior Police Officers in better management of Police Force
• Keep track of the progress of Cases, including in Courts
• Reduce manual and redundant Records keeping
• Under the CCTNS Project, approx. 14,000 Police Stations throughout the country has been proposed to be automated beside 6000  higher offices including  scientific and technical organizations.
• Provide the Investigating Officers of the Civil Police with tools, technology and information to facilitate investigation of  crime and detection of criminals
• Improve Police functioning in various other areas such as Law and Order, Traffic Management etc.