While the government vigoriously taking several digital initiatives, time is now to move forward smart cyber policing, said a top official.

Talking about the digital initiatives of the government, he said, "So far with three governance initiatives and various electronic initiatives, digitalisation we have done, we have been able to ensure flow of information, now we are migrating towards smart policing," said Mr Sanjay Goel, joint secretary, MeitY while addressing an ASSOCHAM National Seminar on Digital Policing.

"The future of smart policing is cyber policing, there is no future of conventional policing, it can only be a guidance but it has to be cyber policing in the future in both real and virtual worlds," he said.

Goel who is heading the e-governance division in MeitY also said that Ministry is aware of challenges in data analytics. "My team recognising this has set up a Centre for Data Analytics under NIC (National Informatics Centre) in Delhi itself."

Considering that there are no boundaries in cyber world, Mr Goel said that this has made policing more challenging and complex. "We are up to the challenge and our security authorities are moving ahead with times and taking the challenge head-on," he added

He said that latest technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), internet of things (IOTs), robotics and data analytics should be made be available to the police authorities at the site of an emergency as these are the soul of smart policing which should become the new norm.

Noting that these technologies are four decades old, he said, "Now with increase in computing powers, improvement in tools we have, we are able to tap it and we need to catch up with rapidly changing technology."