Night patrolling intensified

SURAT, June 22: With ministers and the government expressing grave concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, and ...

SURAT, June 22: With ministers and the government expressing grave concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, and especially in Surat, City Police Commissioner Maniram has intensified patrolling in sensitive and crime-prone areas of the city by night. The police force has also asked the government for more personnel and vehicles for the purpose.

In a letter to the Director-General of Police, Maniram asked for eight more mobile patrol vehicles for eight of the 14 sensitive police stations of the city.

8220;I expect an answer within a couple of days8221;, he said, adding that since the mobiles would be requisitioned during the rathyatra in Ahmedabad, he expected to be get them immediately afterwards.

As a temporary measure, the police have hired private jeeps, fitted them out with wireless sets and are using them for patrolling.

Maniram, however, denied that the day-night patrolling had been introduced under pressure from either the government or an elected representative.Additional Commissioner P C Thakurm, while talking to Express Newsline, added that though the city was being patrolled at night, it had been intensified in areas where the police felt the need of an additional presence.

8220;Some areas have been prone to armed loots and other crimes and these have to be monitored day and night8221;, Thakur said, adding that crime was an emerging situation and a number of other factors had a cumulative effect on crime level in the city, which the police had to keep a constant eye on so as to ensure that things did not go out of hand.

Meanwhile, the commissioner has expressed satisfaction with the increase in solved cases over the past few months and added that solution of one case led to getting leads in a number of other undetected crimes. In a related development, shop owners, particularly paanwallahs have expressed anger over 8220;high-handed8221; police methods in asking them to close shop by 10.30 p.m. Many stallowners have voiced their anger in the way police were beating up those who kept their gallas open after 10.15 p.m.