Kolkata: Residents of West Bengal can now seek emergency assistance through a single helpline number, 112, following the launch of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on Saturday.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari inaugurated the service at around 11 am, marking a major step towards strengthening the state’s emergency response and police assistance network. As part of the rollout, 450 new cars and 450 motorcycles were flagged off to support faster police response across the state.
The new system is designed to help people contact emergency services without having to remember multiple helpline numbers. Under the initial deployment, police stations across the state will receive new vehicles to improve response times and enable officers to reach people in distress more quickly.
How Dial 112 Will Work
People facing an emergency can seek assistance by dialling 112, sending an SMS to the number, or using the SOS feature of the 112 India mobile application.
Once a call or message is received, it is routed to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), where the emergency is registered and processed. The system uses a Case Record Management System (CRM) to record incident details and help identify the caller’s location.
The information is then forwarded to a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, which helps identify and dispatch the nearest Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) to the location.
The newly deployed vehicles are equipped with GPS technology and 112-enabled mobile devices or tablets, allowing emergency response teams to receive incident details and coordinate their movement to the affected area.
Focus on Faster Police Response
The deployment of 450 cars and 450 motorcycles is intended to strengthen police mobility and improve access to emergency assistance across West Bengal. The use of location-based technology and a centralised dispatch system is expected to help authorities coordinate responses more efficiently.
With Dial 112 now launched in the state, the focus will be on ensuring that people can access police assistance through a single emergency contact point, particularly during situations requiring urgent intervention.
The service brings West Bengal into the national Emergency Response Support System framework, which is designed to provide a unified channel for emergency assistance.
