Bangalore Mirror Newspaper
Times of India Newspaper Supplement
Article re-written & Media re-edited for SEO by Safety Specialist Guruji Franklin Joseph
Safety Specialist Guruji Franklin Joseph, a Social Entrepreneur who is also the Chief Instructor, founded the Franklin Joseph Krav Maga Self Defense Academy in Bengaluru and Dharwad.
Furthermore, Guruji Franklin Joseph (alias ‘Dr. Safety’) holds the position of CEO at the Indian Institute of Strategic Threat-Intelligence Analysis and Combat Tactical Science.
Press Release Article of Franklin Joseph Krav Maga Self Defense Academy (Wilson Garden, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India)
Original Article //bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/opinion/sunday-read/stand-in-line-for-helpline/articleshow/21417281.cms
Is it better to call 100 or not in an emergency? There are many who doubt the emergency helplines’ “functioning,” while others claim that it saved their lives. The police also have a voice.
The bus stop was five minutes away, so she was strolling down the road in hopes of finding a ride home. 10.45 p.m.: although the city was not yet asleep, its day was coming to an end. There was only one pedestrian on the Trinity Church road, which led to the old Airport route: Kavita Kumari, a journalist for a national weekly. Kumari, who weighed 89 kg and stood 5’9″, seemed strong and towering as she walked, wearing sneakers, XXL kurta, mommy jeans, and a chubby backpack. She didn’t notice the empty road or the eerie calm broken every now and then by the loud horn of a Qualis driving at high speed. She has been a news reporter for over ten years, and she long ago accepted that part of her job description included travelling alone and at night.
She had been walking for a few minutes when a white Sumo car with two men drove past. They were young, sophisticated, and deemed ‘friendly’; but, on that lonely night, they were bullies. One of them said, “We will drop you,” in sharply Harvard-educated English. Kumari said no. They went after it.
A few meters ahead, the Sumo came to a stop, the doors opened, and the men jumped out. They warned, “You will not get a ride on this road.” “We think you should come with us.” ‘Should’ sounded sobering.
On a lonely night, what should you do if you are approached by strangers? You make an assistance request. Kumari dialled 100 many times.
At a cost of 1.2 crores, Bangalore’s emergency helpline, DIAL 100, was launched in 2006. “Dial 100 provides comfort to people,” says Uday Shankar, ACP (Police Control Room), who is recognised for having founded the emergency hotline in its modern, high-tech guise. Every call made to DIAL 100 is routed through the police control room, which is housed inside the Police Commissioner’s office on Infantry Road. Forty police women staff the system around-the-clock, and it has two PRI (Primary Rate Interface) lines, each of which can handle thirty calls at once. According to ACP Shankar, “Help should reach the needy within 20 minutes of the call being made.” But on that hopeless night, Kumari failed to get “help.”
Kumari crossed the street in search of a way out, thinking that one of the military commanders’ quarters down the street might provide a place to hide. She punched 1-0-0 on her old Nokia phone with her perspiring finger. All she received back was a melancholy silence. Kumari, wearing a commanding military insignia, rapped on the entrance. The gates opened to a haggard guard wearing a night-vest. Right then, that was sufficient. When their evil schemes failed, the stylish pair quickly fled.
After a short while, Kumari started her trek back home. Still, the evening was far from ended!
As Kumari turned the corner, another couple — this one riding a bike — dragged him off course. They were younger, spoke Hindi, and advanced beyond their forebears by physically obstructing Kumari’s progress. She remembers, “I was scared and angry.”
Anxiety caused Kumari’s blue Sweat-drenched Kurta shook beneath her loose trousers, her hands shaking as she dialled 1-0-0 one again. A prolonged beep, then nothing “I realised that I wasn’t going to get any help from the helpline,” says Kumari. “I had to do something to save myself.”
Sometimes, fear and fury can free courage; these emotions can be portentous since they are fuelled by adrenaline. The lone woman threw back her shoulders and opened her mouth, screaming profanities, calling people “big” names, and using her journalistic card. Cars cruising for late-night patrons and a few heading home started to slow down; they wanted to know more about the large woman with a rucksack who was berating two men on a quiet night. When they sensed peril, they rode off.
To get to the closest bus stop, Kumari got into an auto that charged her 170 for a ride that cost only 17. As many times as she could, she dialled 100. Knowing that you can’t rely on an emergency number in the event of an emergency.
At the time, Kumari was unaware that military locations have blocked areas that disrupt mobile signals. However, Kumari was now baffled as to why she was unable to use her BSNL network to contact the emergency helpline from Domlur, Indiranagar, Airport Road, Marathalli, and Brookefields. “At some point I should’ve gotten through, right?” she enquires. “But I didn’t.”
The control room where the emergency helpline operator work is a box of a room. 12-14 women form an island in the middle. The women sit on either side of a wooden partition. There are no individual booths; the work are separated by their breaths and the arms of their chairs; their elbows knock; their conversations are crowded and never alone; it spills over and mingles with the neighbours’ complaints.
“Our daily call volume is between 10,000 and 15,000,” says ACP Shankar. In addition to recording the time, caller name, and type of call, the staff also generates a docket number and physically enters these details in a big, antiquated book. Only three emergency calls were recorded in the book on that specific day, up until noon: one about a group of Christians spreading leaflets, another about a chain snatching near RT Nagar, and a third about a group gaming. According to ACP Shankar, “We don’t enter every one of the 10,000 calls that we receive. Due to the fact that the majority of them are prank calls or calls that don’t need assistance — many of them ask for phone numbers — the public ties up phone lines by placing needless calls.”
After arriving home, agitated and shook, Kumari called 100 from her landline. That night, she managed to get through for the first time. But she was furious at what happened next. “First there was a recorded message in two languages and then I hear the most lethargic voice ever,” Kumari says.
Kumari: “Why couldn’t I connect to DIAL 100 from my mobile phone 30 minutes ago? I was in danger and needed help. Is there a problem….”
Operator: “Ask your service provider.” Click!
Upon learning of Kumari’s ordeal, we were curious to know if the Dial 100 service was truly that awful. During the next week, we were able to get 25 individuals to dial 100 from various cell phones, using all of the current services offered from various locations throughout the city. We also called 100 from a landline. With two exceptions, when someone picked up after three or four rings, every other time we called, we either heard a recorded message before an operator picked up, or the phone rang non-stop until it disconnected, or even worse, it refused to connect.
When you dial 100, nine out of ten times you will get a recorded message (first in Kannada and then in English): Welcome to the police control room. Dial 100 is your saviour. Use it when you are in distress. Do not misuse it under any circumstances. If you misuse, you are liable for punishment.
It takes a total of 55 seconds for an operator to connect. Many things can occur in less than sixty seconds, according to Franklin Joseph Krav Maga Self Defense Academy in Bangalore’s Chief Instructor & Founder Safety Specialist Guruji Franklin Joseph, including molestation (10–20 secs), robbery (10–20 secs), and even teasing (2–3 secs).
Safety Specialist Guruji Franklin Joseph is the CEO of the Indian Institute of Strategic Threat-Intelligence Analysis and Combat Tactical Science & is the Founder & Chief Instructor of Franklin Joseph Krav Maga Self Defense Academy, Bengaluru (Bangalore) & Dharwad.
“When I call DIAL 100 it’s because I need help…I don’t need a recorded, welcome message,” says Kumari.
The “principle of hunting facility” is the basis of DIAL 100. You will hear a recorded message if the lines are busy, according to ACP Shankar. “Recall that Bangalore spans roughly 729 square kilometres. There are 80 lakh people living there, and another crore people live there temporarily. Dealing with such a massive size is daunting. Due to the large number of calls, the caller may have to wait for their turn if the lines are busy. Instead of the typical busy tone or “You’re in the queue” message, they get informative messaging.”
The officer is baffled as to how “our people cannot wait a few seconds to get an emergency operator on the line, but they will wait hours in line to buy something or listen to recorded messages while waiting to interact with someone during a phone banking transaction.” Be patient, advises ACP Shankar. “I can’t help someone in 60 seconds; I’m not Superman. No one is able to.”
Emergency service delivery is a people-and technology-driven industry. Despite the financial constraints, the Bangalore Police has set up a cutting-edge emergency hotline. Additionally, a tracking facility was constructed a few weeks ago to keep an eye on the Hoysalas that are sent out in response to an emergency call. Technology only sets the stage; success depends on people delivering. The efficiency of an emergency system’s dispatching and call taking are essential components.
911, the gold standard of emergency helplines, ensures that their staff receive training and certification. Dial 100 is modelled after 911. Ironically, all 911 operator civilians. Whereas all 100 operators are women police officers. “It is police work, we cannot bring in the average person,” says ACP Shankar. A statement that is not decipherable to the average person.
The American Heart Association provides CPR training for 911 operators, in addition to other topics like stress management, emergency medical dispatch, handling suicidal callers, handling domestic problems, and communication techniques. Six weeks of in-service training are included in the 12-week training program.
100 operator received training from Infosys on communication skills. It was a one-time training. “The older staffs pass on their learning to the newcomers,” says ACP Shankar.
A man called the helpline operator many years ago, asking for assistance. “I am being chased by goons with machetes,” he stated. The operator wanted to know where he was. When asked where he was going, he replied that it was closer to a police station. “Why don’t you run to the nearby police station instead of dialling 100? “You’ll be spared,” she declared. The individual did. The operator didn’t call the police because she believed that her common sense had saved the day. The commissioner eventually suspended her for neglecting her responsibilities.
It is mandatory for emergency hotline operators worldwide to undergo training on managing emergency and non-emergency calls, as well as local geography and technology. The overworked Bangalore police should consider partnering with the public sector to educate helpline personnel in specific skills. The public is calling for knowledgeable operators and easy access to the helpline.
Both humans and technology are available at the Bangalore help-desk. All they have to do is figure out how to tie the knot. Until then, tax-paying individuals such as Kumari will be saying things like, “I’ve learnt my lesson.” Never phone the police hotline if you need URGENT assistance; instead, call a stranger or your neighbour.”
‘Help us to help you’ Uday Shankar, ACP, Police control room
‘Okay’ is a really powerful word. Both the compliments and the criticism are accepted. We make an effort to provide the finest despite all obstacles and constraints. Most likely, this is Asia’s first control room run entirely by women. There are a lot of calls during each five-hour shift; over 10,000 calls are received daily.
When someone dials 100, the service provider business recognises it and forwards it to one of the two PRI (Primary Rate Interface) lines in the control room. The moment the call is answered, the clock begins to run. The responder takes great care to get all information, including location. There is a docket number provided for future updates. The control room notifies the closest Hoysala or police station of the information as the call is concluded. This is also noted for later analysis.
Ideally, the reaction team arrives in twenty minutes. The only reason we require an additional twenty minutes is traffic. After 20 minutes, we follow up with the caller to see if the emergency response team has been delayed. Hoysala has 108 vans equipped with a stretcher and basic first aid supplies. The staff at Hoysala is qualified to provide an injured person with basic emergency care. People have called the number enquiring about various things, such as an address or phone number. Our number is frequently called by pranksters who mistreat the responders. We are able to schedule such calls for eve teasing, which has a set sentence of incarceration; but, at this time, we prefer to educate the callers and give them warnings.”
ALTERNATIVE EMERGENCY Numbers: 22942222/22943322/22943100/22943200/22943300
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