Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Citizens on patrol at night

Burglaries in Mavarathalakonam force citizens to patrol the area, writes G. Anand.

A spate of burglaries last month has prompted the residents of Mavarathalakonam in Medical College police limits to regularly patrol their streets at night.

In July, burglars had struck the area several times, stealing necklaces of sleeping women, lifting cash and gold ornaments from houses and snatching the necklace of a person who had gone to collect milk in the early hours. There are 800 houses, 14 byroads and 20 lanes in the 2 sq km residential area.

Every night, senior citizens of the locality take turns patrolling their area in small groups. The citizens carry torches and sticks on night patrol. The residents say that theirs is not a vigilante group to combat crime. "The aim is not to take law into our hands but to create a sense of security among citizens. Hence, we avoid taking young persons for night patrol," says P.K. Koshy, the general secretary of the resident's association.

The Medical College police area has one of the highest number of residential colonies in the city. The police station has 60 men, four officers, two jeeps and three motorcycles for a population of more than 2 lakhs. The station area is divided into eight blocks for patrolling purposes.

Officials say that crime rate is less compared to the large population and the scarce resources of the local police.

However, with professional burglars from outside the State finding easy pickings in Medical College area, the police feel that the situation could worsen in the coming days.

The local residents had been continuously demanding a second police station at Sreekaryam. However, the Government is yet to take any decision in the matter.

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