The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Police chief calls for meeting with bankers

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Monday, Aug 20, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Police chief calls for meeting with bankers

L.Srikrishna

Surveillance facility ‘lacking at ATMs’

An echo of the murder of a guard at an ATM kiosk
Police conducted a study last year on security in banks

CHENNAI: Commissioner of Police G. Nanchil Kumaran has called for a meeting of bank executives on Tuesday to highlight the need for installing surveillance cameras at automated teller machines (ATM) and equipping guards at the facilities with weapons and communication devices.

The decision to convene the meeting came close on the heels of the murder of a guard at an ATM kiosk in Chepauk late on Saturday night. During investigation, police noticed that there was no surveillance camera at the kiosk. The security guard, who was allegedly assaulted by a youth, did not have weapons for self-defence and there was no communication facility to reach any emergency services, investigating officers said.

Equipping the guards would not only discourage the offenders, but also help the police to act promptly in case of any untoward incident, they pointed out.

Prompt action

The Commissioner said that though the team solved the case within four hours, many ATMs lacked basic facilities that are essential from a security perspective, he said.

Explaining how they zeroed in on the accused, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Triplicane) M. Ramasubramani said the guard Ravi had worked with a private security agency for about 18 months. He was posted at ATM kiosk on Kamarajar Salai in Chepauk only four days ago.

With the help of the officers’ in-charge of the ATM operations of the bank, the police ascertained that the person who had operated the card was a genuine card holder. The ATM had accepted the card and displayed the balance available. In this case, as the balance was less than Rs 100, the accused was unable to withdraw funds, Mr. Ramasubramani said.

The police also found that the account holder worked in a BPO company. The youth, belonging to Nagaland, was arrested from a lodge in Triplicane following this. The accused told the police that he had planned to go back to Kohima on Sunday morning after withdrawing cash from his account. When he found there was no balance, he was frustrated. He had to receive some arrears from his former employer, he told the police.

Study

Last year the police conducted a study on the security in bank branches in Triplicane police district, covering Anna Salai, Zam Bazaar, Anna Square, Chintadripet, Egmore, Nungambakkam, Thousand Lights, Choolaimedu and Triplicane.

According to Mr Ramasubramani, 72 branches did not have any arrangement to monitor the movement of customers or prevent them from carrying weapons or hazardous articles into banks. As many as 39 branches did not post guards at the entry and exit points, while four branches employed security staff on a part-time basis during night. Only six of the 80 branches had installed closed-circuit television (CCTV) on their premises. The police had underlined the need for proper illumination at night, availability of strong room, armed guards and installation of surveillance cameras and burglar alarms.

Though the bankers had promised to implement these suggestions, so far the response is not encouraging, police officers say.

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