The city police have stepped up security measures to combat the soaring crime graph in the city.
In the wake of the incidents of burglary and chain snatching reported in Peelamedu area, Commissioner of Police A.K. Viswanathan and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) T. Senthilkumar conducted a meeting on Thursday to review the arrangements for prevention of crime, and detection of already reported cases.
The meeting decided to draw up a crime mapping going by such crimes in Coimbatore East sub-division. However, the focus will be on all peripheral areas with deployment of additional strength.
The Commissioner directed for diversion of additional police strength from the City Armed Reserve to all the police stations in the crime prone sub-divisions. The strength will be exclusively for patrolling the streets during morning and evening hours.
The focus of the policemen will be to ensure safety of women as many chain snatchings were reported only during early mornings and evenings. In addition, the places sought-after by people for walking are also being brought under the police vigil. The police urged the women to be cautious while going out, wearing heavy jewellery.
Special teams are also keeping a tab on ex-convicts, habitual offenders and those getting released from prison.
As a special measure, deployment of police personnel in uniform and in civil dress is being stepped up.
However, the special teams constituted on Thursday night after the three incidents of chain snatching in Peelamedu, involving 13 sovereigns, arrested two men from Uttar Pradesh when they attempted to rob a woman of her 1.5-sovereign jewellery at a petty shop in Varadarajapuram in Singanallur on Friday.
The two had confessed to their involvement in the three incidents. It is learnt that the gangs used to come in batches of two and stay in a lodge. They would steal vehicles, and snatch chains. Later, they would abandon the vehicles in parking lots and leave Coimbatore with the booty. Further investigations are on.
