CHENNAI: Taking note of the recent spurt in chain and mobile snatching incidents across Chennai, City Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan has instructed policemen to intensify patrolling, especially at nights. The instructions were given on Tuesday by the Commissioner, who proposed the formation of two ‘crime prevention teams’.
“These teams will function on two shifts — from 10 pm to 4 am and from 4 am to 8 am. Each team will be headed by the Deputy Commissioner and will have 14 members. Apart from this, the regular night rounds conducted every day will continue,” the order read.
The Assistant Commissioner from other special units will also be deployed in the new teams till June 30. The Inspector, Sub-Inspector, head constables and constables will be headed by the Deputy Commissioners of the area. The Armed Reserve police will report to the Deputy Commissioner, Armed Reserve.
The teams will be provided with a vehicle to carry on patrolling. This instruction comes after 14 people were robbed of mobile phones, cash or gold at knife-point by motorbike-borne gangs in various parts of the city in just four hours on Sunday night.
The pattern was similar in all 14 incidents. The victims were intercepted and threatened at knife-point and forced to hand their valuables over to the robbers. Before they could alert anyone, the gangs escaped.
Noting this, these special teams were instructed to conduct vehicle check, nab criminals residing in the local jurisdiction and curb bike racing.
The instruction orders were sent to all senior police officers in the city. As many as 3,469 persons, including 1,125 history-sheeters have been detained by police in a storming operation over the last two days. The police seized 69 motorbikes on Monday night.
Fifty-two persons against whom non-bailable warrants had been issued were arrested and 22 absconding accused were also arrested in the last two days. Also 740 hotels and lodges in the city were raided by the police.