The HCM City police command centre serves as the central hub for receiving incoming reports and coordinating operational forces, with duty officers standing by around the clock to handle incidents. — Photo sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY — The HCM City's Department of Public Security has launched two major operational models designed to accelerate emergency response times and streamline technology integration across its law enforcement network.

The new initiatives involve the establishment of the Emergency Information Reception and Handling Team under the municipal Police Command and Information Centre alongside the creation of the Science and Technology Club.

Under the new operational structure, the city police force has officially transferred the reception of calls from the 114 emergency hotline for fire prevention, fighting, and rescue from the Fire Police Division directly to the HCM City Police Command and Information Centre.

The newly formed Emergency Information Reception and Handling Team will act as a unified hub responsible for directly receiving, classifying, and processing emergency calls from both the 113 and 114 hotlines.

The unit will directly dispatch rapid-response units, fire and rescue teams, and local ward police to incident scenes to eliminate operational delays.

Senior Colonel Trần Hồng Minh, deputy director of the city’s Department of Public Security, commended the units involved for overcoming facility constraints, setting up equipment rapidly, and seamlessly rerouting the 114 hotline.

The initiative serves as a crucial pilot step towards executing Decision No 1166 issued on June 29, 2026 by the Prime Minister, Minh said.

"The decision mandates combining the three major national emergency services for security, fire and rescue, and medical emergencies into a single unified call centre."

Consolidating these emergency pipelines optimises response workflows and maximises the golden window of opportunity to save lives and protect citizens' property across the southern metropolis, Senior Colonel Trần Mạnh Hà, Head of the Telecommunications, Information Technology and Cryptography Division, said.

"The integration would significantly enhance the force's rapid-response capabilities," he said.

Meanwhile, the Science and Technology Club has been established to bring together officers and personnel with expertise in digital technology and scientific research.

The club will focus on developing customised software solutions, implementing data automation, and driving digital transformation in operational command, which also aligns directly with the Politburo’s Resolution No .57 on achieving strategic breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.

Following the opening ceremony, officers at the Command Centre conducted real-time simulations showcasing three emergency scenarios involving a suspect wielding a knife who attacked a citizen before fleeing, a severe traffic collision, and a major fire and explosion incident.

Leveraging integrated digital mapping and an artificial intelligence-powered security camera system, duty officers rapidly tracked the suspect's escape direction, identified collision hotspots, and determined optimal navigation routes.

The automated system allowed the command unit to dispatch rapid-response teams to the exact locations in record time. — VNS