In a bid to check ‘infiltration’ of criminals from the districts of neighbouring States, police would strengthen its network of informers. Simultaneously, it would set up CCTV cameras at various points along the border of Uttarakhand- Uttar Pradesh border.
Police officials said that investigation of a recent crime incident revealed involvement of the criminals from districts of Western UP. In the past, several such instances were also seen. Three of the six accused who committed robbery at the house of a doctor about a fortnight back are from different villages in Deoband town.
The three accused, during interrogation, confessed to have committed the robbery, police claimed, adding that the involvement proved that the criminals from the Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Meerut, make intrusion to the State and after committing the crime they managed to flee. In order to keep the criminal elements away from the State, police decided to take some concrete measures. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Amit Sinha said, “Efforts are on to keep the criminals from the neighbouring States away. As part of it, several steps have been taken. Police have identified the points used by the criminals to make entry to the State. Police would set up CCTV cameras at these points.”
Thus police would be able to keep a strict vigil at the vulnerable points. Sinha is optimistic that the CCTV cameras would help in checking the intrusion of the hardcore criminals from the Western districts of UP. He also held a meeting with the Haridwar district police and asked his subordinate to fortify the network of the informers.
Though he considers surveillance as a strong means that support the police in tracking movement of the criminals, the officer strongly believes that there is no alternative to the old system of gathering inputs. “Strong network of informers is need of the hours. Camera and electronic gadgets have limitations, while informers give vital clues related to the criminals. Thus, they work shoulder in shoulder with police in checking and busting the crime cases,” Sinha said.
He observes that use of combination of technology and network of informers may prove a boon for the police in gathering inputs related to criminals and nefarious designs. So, police would start using the ‘combo’ very soon. A plan for using the combo has already been drawn. The officers deployed in the police stations have been asked to build up strong network of the informers.