From the Archives (February 23, 1972): Police facsimile network

Tiruchi, Feb, 22: The Tamil Nadu Police will install very soon a facsimile equipment linking Vellore, Madras and Madurai for quick transmission of fingerprints, photos and important documents. Mr. F.V. Arul, Inspector-General of Police, said in an interview here to-day that V.H.F. (very high frequency) channel would be used for transmission. As the Finger Print Bureau was functioning at Vellore, that town had been chosen for installation of the facsimile system in the first phase. Ultimately each district would have a facsimile unit at its headquarters. Once the facsimile network was completed, it would facilitate speedy communication from one place to another and prompt detection of crime. Computerisation of crime records and documents had also been taken up in Madras. The Tamil Nadu Police would be the first in the whole country to adopt the system of computerisation of crime records and resort to the use of facsimile through V.H.F., the Inspector-General said. The micro-wave system with more than 60 channels when completed, would be available for simultaneous transmission and reception of messages between two centres, he added.