Chennai: The City Police have assured Chennaites that comprehensive measures are in place to ensure crime-free shopping experience for the people visiting the shopping hub in T Nagar ahead of the 'Festival of Lights'.
The nearly 300 cameras that have been installed are feeding live updates to the control centre set up for the festival season. Like in the previous years, the cops have set up watchtowers at crowded junctions. Cops armed with binoculars will be posted on these watch towers to identify suspicious persons and isolate them from the crowd using field level force.
A DCP level officer will supervise three ACPs, 10 Inspectors, 20 SIs, and 300 constables drawn from local strength and an additional 300 constables from Armed Reserve police and Tamil Nadu Special police, and 150 Home Guards, were involved in the security in T Nagar, Usman road and Ranganathan street.
Besides, a crime-special team comprising 20 constables led by Mambalam Crime Inspector and a special team led by a woman Inspector of similar strength which will focus energy on tagging the pickpockets out of the crowd. These teams will operate in civvies without raising any suspicion among the culprits who may try their luck in the swelling crowd.
Barricades have been put up demarcating separate entry and exit into the busy streets. Similar arrangements have been made in Purasaiwakkam with about 200 cops being involved in security with a DC on field to supervise the security arrangements. Here also three watch towers are to come up.
In Washermenpet, the security is being taken care of by two DCs and four watch towers will be set up. In Velachery, two separate teams have been formed for crowd regulation and ensuring security, one will be taking care of the security arrangements near Chennai Silks and the other team deployed near Phoenix Market City.
