The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Computers for police stations by next month

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 11, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Computers for police stations by next month

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUG. 10. All police stations in the State will be equipped with computers by next month. They will also be provided with fax machines and "simple gym equipment" to keep the police "fighting fit at all times."

Making a slew of announcements at the valedictory of a conference of police officers at the Secretariat here today, the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, said stress management and group therapy would be imparted to the personnel to improve their health status. Thirteen ambulances would be purchased for district police establishments, Commissionarates and TSP battalions, at a cost of Rs. 81.18 lakhs.

Noting that many Collectors and SPs made a request toher for additional allotment to the district rehabilitation fund to rehabilitate prohibition offenders, she said a further allotment of Rs. 2.5 crores would be made. Responding to a request from coastal district administrators, Ms. Jayalalithaa said speedboats would be provided for patrolling. "The crew will be outsourced locally using fishermen, with women crew also being promoted."

Six mobile checkposts would be established to "enable the district superintendents of police of Tiruvallur, Krishnagiri, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur" to curb transborder liquor smuggling.

The Chief Minister announced the doubling of video piracy prevention units; providing CB-CID units with photocopiers, fax machines, telephones and cellphones; establishment of a marine training centre to develop sea faring skills at Mandapam; setting up of a mobile court in each district to deal with petty cases under the Motor Vehicles Act and building of an exclusive prison for women on the Cuddalore sub-jail premises.

Crime rate

Earlier, Ms.Jayalalithaa said that facts made it clear that the crime rate in the State had gone down, and the crime detection rate had improved. "Yet an orchestrated campaign is sought to be conducted, blowing up one or two incidents," she alleged inaugurating the meet.

"In every category, be it `property crimes,' `violent crimes,' `crimes against women' and `others,' the incidence for the year up to June 2004, is even lower than for the year up to June 2003," she said.

The percentage of crime detection up to June 2004 was 76, up from 69 during the corresponding period the year before. "The percentage of recovery up to June 2004, is 73 per cent, whereas it was 65 per cent during the corresponding period of the last year. The overall crime rate has come down from 266.2 per lakh population for the calendar year 2002 to 248.71 in the calendar year 2003 and has come down even further to 245, on an extrapolated basis, with reference to the data for the first six months up to June 2004, in the current calendar year. The truth is thus incontrovertible," she said.

Ms.Jayalalithaa said that the augmentation of the Highway Patrol Scheme and its integration with the Emergency Accident Relief Centres resulted in the reduction of total fatalities on 80 accident-prone stretches on the national highways. "The fatalities in these stretches have decreased by 27 per cent after introduction of this scheme, and the number of accidents have also come down by 28 per cent for the period ending June, 204," she said.

The emergency accident relief centres and the highway patrols helped save the lives of 9395 people involved in road accidents between November 2002 to May 2004. She later announced that this scheme was being extended to state highways with high-density traffic. Forty new highway patrol vehicles will be introduced.

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