The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Safety, the buzzword, doing rounds in city

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Safety, the buzzword, doing rounds in city

City Bureau

Chennai is going through a trauma of its own, particularly in the Vadapalani and K.K. Nagar areas

— PHOTO: R.RAGU.

Safety precautions: Policemen on night patrol check vehicles on Anna Salai recently.

CHENNAI: The recent serial blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore and the following red alerts in several other cities has brought to fore issues of security in Chennai too.

The city’s residents have suddenly been called upon to remain alert. There is police presence everywhere and baggage checks at places such as the Central Railway Station. Women two-wheeler riders, who are usually not stopped by the police, are also checked by policewomen now.

Apart from the nationwide alert, Chennai is going through a trauma of its own, particularly in the localities of Vadapalani and K.K. Nagar, which are grappling with a series of unexplained deaths. With the police unable to unravel the mystery, residents took up night patrolling. They abandoned it after people mistook a resident for the prowling psychopath killer.

Though Police Commissioner R. Sekar assured people that he had put in place not just uniformed but also plainclothes police personnel who mingled with the locals to gather information, the events of the past weeks have made the residents edgy.

Watchmen or security guards?

The city has 250 companies supplying about one lakh trained security personnel who are posted at shopping malls, warehouses and schools. “We train our guards in not just handling emergency situations but also in first aid and resuscitation,” says G.I. Pattabiraman, vice-president of Globe Detective Agency.

“If every house in an apartment complex could set aside Rs. 1,000 a month to ensure its security, it is a small amount to pay for peace of mind,” notes Shibu Issac, State chairman of Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI). Its members have mooted the idea of patrolling in areas where the police are understaffed.

In the city, most buildings associations appoint a watchman, who also runs errands for the residents but in the suburbs, only a few appoint watchmen. “We cannot afford one,” says Narayanan, secretary of Chandrasekar Avenue Residents Welfare Association in Thoraipakkam. He recalled an incident of housebreak in the area some months ago, which was not reported to the police. Though the police have suggested that residents keep their associations informed, Mr. Narayanan says residents do not do so. He feels the safe option is to have a relative stay at home when the family is vacationing.

The Police Department’s ‘locked-door’ register, where people going out of town can provide details of their expected date of arrival has not caught on either. Police officials say only a few residents take the initiative to volunteer such information. In her area, Triplicane, Deputy Commissioner of Police S. Lakshmi has asked the beat policemen to check and keep note of the locked houses in the area.

Home-maker R. Vasanthaa believes that the safety of her house is her responsibility. “We don’t know if we can trust the police and inform them about our movements. We have to keep only the very basic jewellery at home and the rest in bank lockers. There are credit cards and so there is no need to keep large amounts of hard cash.”

Though devices such as burglar alarms and video door phones are yet to catch up in the city, unlike in the past, the devices are no more for the upper middle class apartment complexes, says K. Venugopal, regional manager (south), Zicom Retail products, a subsidy of Zicom Electronic Security Systems. Video door phones are available from Rs. 4,500 to Rs. 20,000.

“However, we find that it is only those moving into Chennai from other cities who opt for such arrangements since they are aware of them. It is not too popular among residents of Chennai yet,” Mr. Venugopal says.

T.S. Narayanawsamy, a resident in an apartment in T.Nagar, feels the video door phone is very useful.

“You don’t have to open the door. You can speak to the person standing outside, just by looking at their image in your video phone. It is a very good system to ensure safety and I would strongly recommend it,” he said.

E. Shanmugam, manager, operations, Active Total Security Systems, feels Chennai still has a long way to go in terms of thinking about security options such as video door phones.

“Many think the wiring will spoil the aesthetics of their homes. It is not true. It is high time we looked at good security measures as a necessity and not a luxury,” he notes.

As for burglar alarms, they say individual bungalows are increasingly opting for one.

Though private security agencies call for a change in attitude, Chennai’s residents are not yet very anxious about security.

(With inputs from R. Sujatha, Meera Srinivasan and Deepa H. Ramakrishnan)

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