Visible policing to check crime in Telangana

Hyderabad: After the formation of separate Telangana, the TRS government and Telangana Police have adopted the concept of 'friendly and smart policing' depending on high-end technology to bring down the crime rate in the state and increase the conviction rate creating a sense of fear among the offenders.

But a look back at the achievements seems to have made the police realise that along with its success in the fast detection of crime and quick nabbing of culprits, there has been a flip side of it and that is the incidents of crime are increasing in the absence of visible policing.

In the recent past, there has been a marked increase in the incidents of murder in broad day light with instances of killers attacking targets by chasing and slaying them brutally with sickles and other weapons and vanish in no time.

The recent murder of Vijayawada-based steel trader T Ram Prasad near Panjagutta police station limits which is a highly sensitive area in West Zone with the VIP movement is one such incident that is fresh in everyone's memory. Hired killers hacked him to death and escaped from the spot.

Despite the CCTV surveillance and having hi-tech patrolling vehicles in its fleet, the police are failing to catch assassins and most importantly they are unable to save even the victims who are running for help in many instances.

Cases of increasing number of murders in various police station limits in the Old City and even attacks on police stations were seen recently in Habeeb Nagar police station where families of rowdy sheeters barged into the police station and abused the cops have made the department to look back at its concept of "friendly policing", which some are taking as an advantage.

Hence the senior police senior officials have decided to intensify the visible policing' to check crime in Telangana policing" concept more so with the expectation of creating a sense of fear among the offenders.

DGP's 'Operation Police Stations'

Director General of Police M Mahendar Reddy has launched "Operation Police Stations." He has been making surprise visits to the police stations.

With the surprise visits' concept of the DGP, the Commissioners and SPs in various cities and districts across the state in turn are following the DGP and reviewing the performance and efficiency of the SHOs.

The SHOs have also started clearing pending cases, updation of FIR copies in CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System), intensified patrolling through vehicles, including interior lanes and by lanes and have launched "Operation Rowdy Sheeters" under which they are counselling and warning the rowdy sheeters not to indulge in any offences, settlements, civil disputes and attacks.

They are being warned that stringent action will be taken against them and the PD Act will be imposed on them, according to a senior official, who did not wish to be named.

In some areas, the SHOs reportedly classified the rowdy sheeters into 'hyper-active' and 'regular' categories and ordered the hyper-active rowdy sheeters to visit and sign the record every day in the morning hours.

All the Blue Colt teams and patrol vehicles were ordered to keep a watch on their activities. The police intensified patrolling in the night times especially in police stations under the Old City since they found that the majority of offences were occurring between 8 pm and 11 pm.