After social media, AI emerging as a new challenge for police: Haryana DGP

Rohtak: DGP Ajay Singhal on Friday said the police force is bracing for a new kind of threat: artificial intelligence (AI). He said while social media remained a challenge for law enforcement, AI could soon become the next major disruptor, and the police are working on a comprehensive plan to deal with it.Singhal, who was in Rohtak Friday to review the law and order situation, held a meeting with senior officers, including the Rohtak range inspector general of police (IG) and superintendent of police (SP).Addressing mediapersons, he said the gangster problem continues to be a statewide challenge, with criminals increasingly using technology to intimidate people. "Today, threats are being issued using technology. We worked out a plan to deal with gangsters, and because of that, threat-related cases came down by about 40%," he said.The DGP said 25 gangsters were deported, and legal action is underway against two more. Reflecting on how policing has changed over the decades, Singhal said methods have evolved with every technological shift. "When I joined in 1992, policing was different. When the internet came in 1995, the police adapted. Today, the way police work has changed again. As technology changes, our methods must change too," he said.Singhal said the police are also trying to steer youth away from crime by emphasising that crime ultimately ends in jail. He said villages and pockets where gangster activity and crime are relatively higher are being identified, so that young people there can be counselled and linked to the mainstream.On online content, DGP Singhal flagged what he called the growing promotion of gun culture through social media and songs that glorify violence. He said the police got 67 gun-culture songs banned and will continue to respond as new challenges emerge.