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Wednesday, Sep 17, 2008
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Mumbai police bank on alert citizens

Staff Reporter

Mumbai: The Mumbai police seem to have taken a cue from the role played by locals in investigations into blasts. With Mumbai being proclaimed as the next target after Saturday’s Delhi blasts, the police have planned a communication campaign called ‘Alert Mumbaikar.’

Posters and stickers on bus panels, bus shelters, taxis and escalators will exhort citizens to be alert about their surroundings and report any suspicious activity. The police also launched a helpline 9702100100 in collaboration with Idea Cellular.

As in Delhi blasts, the locals have provided “vital clues” to the blasts in Mumbai. “The Gateway and Ghatkopar blasts [suspects] were traced only because of sketches [drawn from description given by locals],” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria.

Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare has been stressing on the need for being alert to create “force multipliers.” In the wake of the terror e-mail menace in the city, the police expect the people to start securing their wireless networks.

At the launch of the alert citizen campaign on Tuesday, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor was asked about absconding e-mail senders. Driving home the alert citizen concept, he said, “If you do not lock your car and expect the police to protect it, that is going a bit too far. That’s how it is with Wi-Fi.”

The work on a Mega City Policing project was in progress of which surveillance would also be a part. This would serve as a thumb rule for any city like the number of vehicles required for a police station, said Mr. Gafoor. The city police were always on high alert. There had been several meetings and plans for expanding the closed-circuit television network were in the pipeline.

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