And Ahmedabad will lead the way. The city's police department will soon register a first in the country by computerising its operations, with uplinking facilities from the police station level onwards. For a start, 50 computers will be purchased.

All 30 police stations in the city will be given with a computer each and these linked with the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad, sources said. Even the language barrier has been thought of, with the proposed purchase of Gujarati language keyboards.

``Gujarat police will be ahead of all other states in this regard,'' an officer said.

While the department already has a computer system which is well connected with New Delhi, its service is under-utilised, authorities admit.

This time around ``we are thinking of linking all the computers; the commissioner will be able to access data in a police station,'' said a police officer. ``There will also be constant updating; if there is a murder for instance, the number of murders will be immediately increased,'' he said.

The major advantages lie, however, in the accountability of policemen, and the convenience to the complainant as well as the judiciary. ``If someone is not writing his diary at the police station, we will come to know,'' said the officer. The First Information Reports which are presently handwritten, if taken on a computer, will present a much more legible document for the policemen as well as the court, policemen feel.

Meanwhile, the State has demanded Rs 10 crore from the Centre for modernisation of the police force.