CHENNAI: The city police have begun employing drones from the Light House to MGR Memorial from 5 am to 8 am and 5:30 pm to 8 pm to prevent crime and stop people from entering the sea.
Four drones are manning the five-km stretch, said the police. "We received information that history-sheeters frequent the Marina at night and in the wee hours target morning walkers and women," said ACP (Triplicane) MS Bhaskar.
Apart from the drones, eight patrol teams in two shifts have been employed along the Kamarajar Stretch and Marina service road, said the police. The personnel frisk people sleeping on the beach and use facial recognition software, Facetagr, to identify people with previous cases.
"Most drowning happens during early morning hours or late evenings, owing to larger crowd. On Thursday, 10 different groups, mostly college students, who attempted to enter the sea were tracked by the drones and patrol teams were rushed to stop them from entering the water," said another senior police officer.
Police are using the public address systems attached to the drones to create awareness. Drone patrol will be increased during weekends due to bigger crowds, said the police.