As Deepavali Shopping Picks up, 18,000 Cops Deployed for Security
CCTVs, watch towers, control rooms, drones, vehicle patrol to monitor crimes at crowded places
CHENNAI: Greater Chennai Police have made elaborate security arrangements, deploying about 18,000 police personnel, in the shopping areas of the city to ensure the safety of the people in view of the Deepavali festival as people have started gathering in large numbers in shopping areas and major bus stands.
Thousands of people have started going to the shopping areas to buy clothes, sweets and crackers. So, the police have made elaborate arrangements at key shopping areas such as T. Nagar, Pondy Bazaar, Mylapore, Washermenpet, Purasawalkam, Koyambedu, Anna Nagar and Flower Bazaar besides bus termini and major bus stands.
Watch towers, control rooms, help desks, CCTV cameras, LED screens, drone cameras, public address system, drone cameras, face recognition system apps, vehicle patrolling and mobile X-ray baggage scanner vehicles are in place where people gather in large numbers.
The police personnel have been deployed to ensure people’s safety in crowded places, find missing persons in the crowd, prevent the occurrence of crimes and to regulate traffic.
A total of 25 watch towers, including 10 in T. Nagar, one watch tower in Adyar and four towers in Flower Bazaar, besides two each in Triplicane and Koyambedu have been set up. A total of 37 binoculars are being used to watch the crowds in all the places.
A total of 12 temporary police control rooms, 37 temporary police assistance centres, 10 mini CCTV control rooms are being used by the police personnel throughout the city to monitor the festival crowd. Besides, police are also wearing 100 body cameras and moving in the crowd and arrangements have been made to trace missing children in the crowd.
An additional 205 temporary CCTVs have been set up in T. Nagar, St. Thomas Mount, Flower Bazaar, Mylapore, Kilpauk and Triplicane to monitor people’s movement.
Safety measures and crime prevention warnings are issued through four LED screens in Adyar, Triplicane and Koyambedu. The police have set up 66 speakers to address the public and give them instructions, to prevent the occurrence of crimes. Automatic audio awareness slogans, too, are being aired in the three places. A total of seven drone cameras are being used in T. Nagar, Flower Bazaar, Triplicane and Koyambedu to monitor the crowds.
Teams of police with face recognition systems are moving within the crowd to spot old criminals and prevent the occurrence of crimes. Police teams on two-wheelers and four-wheelers are carrying out round-the-clock patrolling.
Traffic marshals on two-wheelers are going around the crowded places in T. Nagar, Purasawalkam, Washermenpet and Flower Bazaar to regulate the traffic and avoid congestion.
Mobile X-ray scanner vehicles are being used to check people’s baggage at places where people gather in large numbers, besides shopping malls and markets. Women wearing jewels on the neck are advised to tie clothes around them for protection and wrist bands are being tied on children’s hands to find them if they go missing.
Policemen in plainclothes are moving within the crowd for protection and precautionary measures are being carried out before cracker shops.