Visakhapatnam: Auto-rickshaw drivers team up with cops for community policing

Visakhapatnam: In a novel move to control offences in Visakhapatnam, the City Police Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha launched 'Community Policing with auto-rickshaw drivers'.

The new concept is bringing cost effective problem-solving partnership into force between the police and community, involving auto rickshaw drivers. Inspector of police, East sub-division Ch Simhadri Naidu is the nodal officer of the community policing.

With most offences such as robbery, snatching, kidnapping and smuggling, committing through auto rickshaws happening in the city during night times, Deputy Commissioner of Police V Suresh Babu says about 70 per cent of the auto rickshaw drivers in the city are unorganised. ''Only 30 per cent are affiliated to the unions like CITU, AITUC and INTUC.

A total of 6,000 auto rickshaw drivers associated with 220 auto stands. A majority of the unorganised drivers are involved in crimes,'' adds Suresh Babu. To make them responsible citizens, police officials decided to include them in the concept of community policing.

The main objective of the concept is prevention and detection of crime and control of illegal activities in the city, said the Deputy Commissioner of Police. "We will keep a close watch on the drivers, who have criminal records and create an auto information portal to gain access with the drivers and their unions," he adds.

As part of community policing, the city police is going to create awareness programmes among the drivers. Cops will explain how the drivers can assist the police to prevent the crime and provide security to the society. Passing the information such as movement of the strangers, anti-social activities and abnormal things should be brought to the notice of cops.

A separate day and night registers will be maintained in every auto stand to monitor the activities of auto rickshaw drivers as well as passenger details. Those who run auto rickshaws from 10 pm to 6 am, a pass will be issued by the respective police stations across the city to control the nighttime offences. After verification of the drivers' conduct verified night service auto rickshaw pass will be issued to them.

With the new community policing, police officials believe that the crime rate in the city is likely to come down in the coming days.