BHUBANESWAR: With a few months left for the 2024 general elections, the Commissionerate Police reviewed its preparedness to deal with violence and other eventualities in the run-up to the polls.
At a monthly crime review meeting held on Wednesday, DCP Prateek Singh asked officers to check the locations of booths in the state capital and their vulnerability.
Singh instructed officers to identify sensitive booths and anti-socials who have a record of political violence. They were also asked to open the history sheet of people involved in violence during elections and to keep a close watch on them.
This apart, the DCP asked his officers to complete an investigation of old cases relating to poll violence, if any, and file chargesheets at the earliest. There are around 1,167 booths in the capital city, said sources.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report-2022, Odisha reported the second-highest number of murders related to political motives. Out of 1,402 people murdered last year, eight persons were killed in Odisha for political reasons. Jharkhand topped in murders for political reasons with 17 deaths.
During the meeting, the officers were also briefed about the CCTV Analysis Unit equipped with advanced tools at Commissionerate Police headquarters here. The unit, set up for Rs 19 crore, has facial recognition and image enhancement systems among other new technologies.
The officers were briefed on the new fingerprint-scanning device which can be used to verify the criminal antecedents of suspicious persons during patrol or checks in the city. The device was provided to the city police by the State Crime Records Bureau.
Besides, in the wake of the rise in incidents of thefts and dacoities in the city, DCP Singh has asked officers to create awareness among citizens on ways to remain safe and who to approach in case of an emergency.