Bengaluru: The city police department plans to take stock of the street lights and wants BBMP to fix those that are not functioning.
They contend that such ‘dark spots’ often encourage anti-social activities, including consumption of alcohol and drugs, and criminal acts such as mugging, chain snatching and vehicle thefts.
The police pointed out that a common thread during such incidents was that the street lights were not functioning.
They have also been receiving complaints from residents that they feel unsafe while using roads where there are not street lights or they are not functioning.
A senior police officer said, “Youths identify such roads to smoke ganja and often cause nuisance to others. This menace has been reported across the city, especially in residential areas in the East and South–East divisions.”
“While inspecting these trouble spots we found that either the street lights were not functioning or there were none at all. The residents claimed that when street lights function, they do not come across such activities,” the officer added.
The police department has directed the beat cops to survey their areas and make a list of roads that have no street lights or are not functioning. “We will send it to the BBMP,” the officer added.
He said street lights act as a major deterrent against anti-social activities. Another officer added that the inputs provided by various police stations regarding street lights will be compiled and given to BBMP for remedial action.
“We have also noted that under cover of darkness vehicle thefts have become rampant, as a large number of vehicles in the city are often parked on the road side. We will also discuss this issue with the City Police Commissioner and send a letter to the BBMP regarding street lights,” the officer said.
