The Commissionerate Police in Bhubaneswar in Odisha will soon procure 200 new GPS devices to be installed in PCR vans and police station vehicles to ensure robust patrolling around the capital city, which is gripped by a spate of burglaries from apartments and houses.
The police have also planned to develop a mechanism which will enable citizens to know the status of cases related to theft/burglary in their flats. The complainants can either send a text message or be contacted over telephone once a month to inform them on the progress made in the investigation of their cases.
On the second day of a strategy meet on apartment theft, police commissioner Sanjeeb Panda advised the apartment owners’ associations to enhance their perimeter security, use good quality CCTV cameras and motion detectors and appoint security guards only from registered agencies.
He also asked the apartment associations to share their CCTV IP address with their nearest police stations. Every year, the city police will award ‘safe society’ recognition to apartments having the best perimeter security and surveillance system. The recognition will encourage apartments to enhance their security measures, said sources.
During the meeting, a Bhubaneswar-based start-up displayed a security device developed by it to the apartment owners’ associations. The start-up has also developed an app called ‘Bahadur’. The flat owners can install the device in their house along with CCTV cameras and motion detectors. The owners can immediately receive an alert on the app if any movement takes place in their houses in their absence.
The Commissionerate Police has also planned to upload the list of private security agencies registered under Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act on its website. The apartment associations can check the list on the website and avail services from the agencies accordingly.
“We have planned to develop an app where the apartment owners will be able to provide ratings to private security agencies from whom they are availing the services. This way, they will be able to know about the security agencies providing decent services,” said Panda.
