The recent heist at a private finance firm in Tirupur and the laborious efforts that went into resolving the clueless incident only reiterates the need for collective responsibility and acting to insulate establishments and house holds from thefts.
Asking jewellery shops, commercial establishments having high value transactions and valuables, and also banks to have surveillance cameras and security guards on the bank premises, in ATMs and in private finance firms is only to supplement the efforts of the police in preventing the occurrence of a crime.
In the event of a crime taking place, there needs to be evidence to track the accused, said Amaresh Pujari, Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City. By asking people to employ security guards and install surveillance cameras, police are increasing the layer of security cover.
Coimbatore city spread over roughly 15 sq. km. has close to over ten lakh population in addition to the floating population.
City Police have 15 police stations besides one outpost and the human resource available is about 2,000. It may not be possible to have a policeman at all places at all times. However, deployment of policemen is planned based on crime mapping, he added.
Presence of security guards at establishments, jewellery shops and places of high value transactions, banks and ATMs and gated communities, besides installation of security cameras will definitely act as a deterrent.
Even if a crime takes place, the investigation teams need not remain clueless.
In any urban ambience, the vigil of an electronic eye is always recommended and is an ideal security solution. The cameras could be kept in places so that they conspicuously cover the area.
Considering the value of money, jewellery or commodities to be protected, the investment by establishments, firms and banks into security solutions is never a waste but always a prudent measure, a senior police official said..
If there had been cameras installed at the finance firm at Tirupur, the incident would not have taken place. Even if the crime had taken place despite cameras, the criminals could have been nabbed within a matter of hours or days. Failure to adhere to basic safety measures is only an open invitation to criminals, he added.
Mr.Amaresh Pujari said that establishments should bear in mind that though the firm is insured, the brand image of the firm will suffer if its security systems are found to be vulnerable.
There are cameras with various specifications to suit diverse needs, ranging in price from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh. Fixing cameras and networking them in itself is sufficient.
Depending on affluence and affordability, people could improvise their security solutions with facilities for instant despatch of alerts to their mobile number, that of relatives, friends or neighbours, or even the nearest police station.
These security solutions protect the valuables in the first place by acting as a deterrent, then gives the owner the much required peace, protects the image of the firm and supplements the efforts of the police in turning the place crime free.
Mr. Pujari also exhorted the citizens to make use of the Door Lock Register. They can inform the police station while going out of station and thereby they in fact fix the responsibility and accountability on the police.
Considering the cost involved in building a house and the value of properties therein, people should get out of the reluctant mindset to spend on security solutions.
While preparing a project cost for building a property, the project managers should start including the cost of security solutions.
