Praveen Sood, an 1986 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, is making waves in the state of Karnataka with his innovative reforms and initiatives in the field of policing. Trained at IIT, IIM, and Syracuse, Sood has received numerous awards and honours for his contributions to the police force, including the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2011.
One of his major achievements is the implementation of the "Namma 100" emergency response system while serving as the police commissioner of Bengaluru. This system is a 24/7 emergency response service, manned by multilingual communication officers and supported by 276 emergency response vehicles, with the goal of picking up every call in 15 seconds and visiting every scene of distress within 15 minutes. In just three months of its launch, the service was receiving an average of 6000 calls a day with an average intervention time of 5 seconds and response time of 17 minutes.
Sood is also behind the creation of the E-Lost app, an initiative aimed at making policing contactless. Over 4 lakh people have used the app to report complaints, helping to control corruption and increase transparency in the system. His "Aarogya Bharat" initiative is a universal health coverage scheme for all policemen, their families, and retired officers.
Under Sood's leadership, the state of Karnataka has also made significant strides in the digital realm. He has implemented a complete shift of all trials and court procedures to an online mode, saving time and reducing the risk of undertrials escaping on their way to court. Sood is also leading the charge in better investigation and awareness for the prevention of cyber crimes and advocating for a shift from e-governance to cyber governance.
Praveen Sood's innovative ideas and relentless pursuit of excellence in policing make him a leader worth emulating and a true asset to the Indian police force.