Following a spurt in petty crimes like auto lifting, carjacking and vehicle snatchings on Delhi-Gurugram Expressway and State highways, Gurugram police have decided to deploy more Police Control Room (PCR) vehicles and augment patrolling on the Highways.
According to a senior police official, they have identified major points inside and on the outskirts of the city where the PCR vans will be patrolling round the clock to keep a check on criminals.
An increase in such cases, have raised serious concerns about the functioning of the city police. Earlier, the vehicles were robbed, but now travelers are being targeted, robbed and is some of the cases the victims were even murdered.
According to official data, a number of such cases have been registered with DlF Phase-I and II, Sadar police station, Bajghera police station, Sector-10A, Kherki Daula, Manesar, Farrukhnagar, Pataudi, Civil lines, Sector-10A, Palam Vihar and Sohna police station.
Recently Gurugram police had launched awareness campaign on the National Highway and other major stretches in the city to convince people not to travel alone during late night hours.
They also told the women commuters not to accept lifts in private vehicles during the daytime as well. The campaign was conducted at Shankar Chowk, Iffco Chowk, Atlas Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and other parts in the entire city.
“We had conducted an awareness programme on the National Highway to teach people don't take lifts from unknown persons. We had put hoarding and distribute pamphlet among the people to use public transport and not to travel alone during the night hours,” Assistant Commissioner of police (ACP) city, Rajeev Kumar, said.
“Offenders usually target people who travelling alone on state Highway and National Highway. Such persons are their easy targets when they ask for lifts night during late night hours and secluded places,” Kumar, said.
“We have decided to deploy more police personnel on the National and State Highways the major points on the highways will be monitored by patrolling vehicle. We will also ensure that the victims could get help from the patrolling vehicle, which would rush for help,” the ACP, said.
Though the new fleet will help in better policing, the city police are expecting more police personnel soon. The Haryana police department is in process of recruiting Special Police Officers (SPOs) for the city.
Commissioner of Gurugram police Sandeep Khirwar had earlier said, “Once the department gets these SPOs, they will be deployed to tightened the security in the entire city.
“We are not going to spare errant cops found absent during emergencies in their patrolling zones,” said a senior police officer adding that the ACPs would personally monitor these vehicles in their respective areas.
“The biggest challenge is tracing offenders as most of them have been found to hail from other states and they frequently change their locations to adjoining states and again come after a gap of four or six months,” an official with the crime unit, said. We have strengthened out criminals tracking system to monitor their movements and also get them once they enter into the city to commit a crime, the official added.