The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : In dire need of more hands

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 23, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

In dire need of more hands

LAW &ORDER Cases registered in police stations have doubled. New `varieties' of crimes too have emerged. But, the strength of police force in the city remains the same, writes Marri Ramu

In 15 years, the number of cases registered in city police stations has doubled. Population in a station area too has increased almost three times. But there has been no proportionate increase in the number of policemen in these stations. Neither has there been any scientific exercise to create more stations in the twin cities.

In S.R. Nagar police station, 600 was the annual average number of cases registered a decade-and-a-half ago. This year, it is set to cross the 1,200 mark. But the size of the team, comprising an Inspector, five Sub Inspectors and 80 constables, has remained the same.

Security threats

Same is the situation with police stations of Punjagutta, Chikkadpally and Bowenpally in the city and Kukatpally, Jeedimetla and Saroornagar in Cyberabad. The new category of white-collar offences like credit card and chit fund fraud are adding to the detectives' burden.

Compounding the problem are the protocol and security arrangements the local police have to make. With the location of Chief Minister's camp office cum residence and Raj Bhavan in their area, the Punjagutta police have to always monitor the movements of VVIPs.

Begumpet police too are forced to spend considerable time at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport overseeing security of dignitaries .

Festivals too a burden

Another issue is the recently-developed enthusiasm for Ganesh and Dasera festivals. Earlier, they were not celebrated in such a large scale. The city's communally sensitive atmosphere has changed the security scenario. So, ensuring peaceful conduct of the festivals has become a prime priority.

Property problems

In Jeedimetla and Kukatpally, police face a peculiar problem. The vast tracts of open lands have now metamorphosed into dense housing colonies.

As land prices increased there, so did land disputes. Every day, Kukatpally police receive not less than five to six complaints about property ownership. Equal are those relating to stolen mobile phones.

The net result is accumulation of pending cases and erosion in quality of investigation.

Proposals were mooted to post separate officers for VIP protocol and security duties in Begumpet and Punjagutta police stations.

Higher-ups also recommended bifurcation of S.R. Nagar, Kukatpally and Saroornagar police stations. But the proposals are yet to see light of the day.

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