VIJAYAWADA: Buoyed with success of surveillance by drones during Covid-19-induced lockdown, Vijayawada police have deployed high-end drones for patrolling and other drives to arrest people indulging in anti-social activities. Yes, you heard it right. The city police have used drones for carrying out surprise checks and rounded up 3,500 caught consuming liquor, ganja, playing cards and the like.
“There are some isolated areas in residential colonies where such activities are taking place. Before jumping into action, we deploy drones to check the place if any person or gangs are indulging in criminal activities. If some people are found indulging in such activities, we surround the area leaving no scope for the accused to escape,” Commissioner of Police Bathini Sreenivasulu told TNIE.
“In some cases, a few people get injured in the process of escaping from the police. To avoid untoward situations, we are taking all steps in examining the area by using drone cameras and pass information to the ground level officer in real-time,” he added.
As a part of the exercise, all the sensitive areas under 21 police station limits are covered by drones for effective management of law and order. “Earlier the city police deployed drones for enforcement of lockdown restrictions and successfully controlled public movement. Later, we started using them in isolated places to check for activities after receiving several complaints from public about anti-social elements openly consuming ganja and liquor in public places, and generally creating nuisance,” DCP Harshavardan Raja explained.
According to him, more than 100 such locations have been identified—Durga Ghat, Padmavati Ghat, colonies near Krishna Lanka crematorium, Ranigari thota, Ajit Singh Nagar, Vambay Colony, YSR Colony, vacant lands at Nunna among others. “Similar exercise is being implemented in all the five zones of the city. We are getting positive response from the public, who are alerting us if they came across such incidents in their localities,” he said.