ON GUARD: Policemen checking vehicles on Medchal highway near Bowenpally. The idea is to ensure no vehicle involved in an offence manages to escape, a police officer says. — Photo: Satish H

HYDERABAD : Old technique to tackle new threat! To face the twin challenges of spurt in crimes and intelligence inputs about movement of Maoist action teams, the city police are relying on check-posts, a good old policing method.

The fact that some miscreants managed to escape even after committing robberies and murders during daytime has driven police higher-ups to find out a way to nab them.

"Setting up of check-posts is an obvious choice," says a senior police officer. The police believe that chances of catching an offender improve if information pertaining to the offence is disseminated fast. All these days, pressing the Rakshak and Blue Colt teams - the coveted city police mobile parties - into service has been the only option.

However, in the absence of an organised method to intercept a vehicle or nab an offender on the run - at least on trunk routes - criminals got away easily.

The robbery at Rajlakshmi jewellery shop at Abids and even more baffling escape of dacoits two years ago were glaring examples.

Contractor's murder

The recent murder of a coal contractor at Ramgopalpet and robbing of gold merchants at Ekminar Masjid forced higher-ups to plug the loophole and thus re-emerged the concept of check-posts. Such inspection points have been set up at 17 entry or exit points on the city fringes.

Three policemen, one with a firearm, are on guard duty at each of these centres round the clock. Communication sets, tents and movable steel barricades have been provided at all these places. "The idea is to ensure that no vehicle involved in an offence, say an accident or carrying offenders, manages to flee the city," says the officer.

But what if the offenders are armed or some action teams of Maoists attack the centres? The police say security posts fortified with sandbags have been put at all points.

Brick wall

At some places like the one on the Bowenpally-military dairy farm stretch, a brick wall has been built to enable policemen to take cover and retaliate.

"We don't hope to control crime cent per cent with this step. But, given the limited manpower and financial resources available, this will give us optimum results if not act as a deterrent to offenders," say the higher-ups in the Police Department.

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