Rising crime in Haridwar district is a cause of concern for the district police ahead of the lok Sabha election 2014.
The district police arrested six persons on Thursday allegedly carrying five illegal firearms and a lathe machine from a village in Khanpur. To control crimes and to prevent disorder in the district during lok Sabha elections , Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sadanand Shankar Rao Date has drafted a work plan and directed the police officers to implement it strictly. Sources revealed that recent communal tension in Roorkee and increasing crime graph in the district are giving sleepless nights to Haridwar police. To prevent any disorder during parliamentary elections, the district police have sought deployment of additional police force from the State Police HQ. Apart from deployment of additional PAC jawans during lok Sabha election, Date has also sought deployment of 20 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) from the police HQ.
Talking to The Pioneer, Date said, “We have taken several steps like establishing check posts in inter-state border areas, problem areas and other important places, deployment of additional force at sensitive places and intensifying patrolling to lower the level of sensitiveness of polling booths categorised as sensitive or ultrasensitive to prevent disorder during lok Sabha election. Apart from putting the local intelligence unit on high alert, the Police officers have been directed to be alert of anti social elements. Various social organisations have appealed the public to maintain peace and pledged to inform police if they observe any anti social activities,” he said, while adding that police officers were directed to prepare list of loot, dacoity, robbery and other crimes reported in the last five years in the district and submit a fresh report after verifying it.
Apart from this, the current status of criminals out on bail should be verified. To put a check on crimes, station police officers have been directed to launch vehicle checking drive periodically at important places and intensify patrolling in places from where burglary, loot, dacoity and other crimes were reported in the past.