Notwithstanding patrolling by dedicated teams of police personnel across the city, instances of property crimes have persisted, putting the law enforcers on the spot.
Thursday’s daring daylight robbery in the prominent Raja Colony area wherein an unidentified man coolly made away with gold jewels and cash after tying up three women in their house and a couple of chain snatching cases in Golden Rock and Pirattiyur areas on Wednesday are the latest property offences to be reported within the city limits.
The ease with which the masked culprit struck alone at the opportune time shortly before noon at the residential locality of Raja Colony in Cantonment police station limits and decamped with gold jewellery weighing 13 sovereigns and Rs. 65,000 in cash after threatening the three women in their house at knifepoint has literally stumped the police.
While special teams formed to apprehend the accused were working steadfastly to crack the robbery case by conducting inquiries and sifting the video footages generated from a surveillance camera installed near the scene of crime, the daring robbery has taken place at a time when different patrolling teams were carrying out their missions in their respective jurisdictions.
The City Police has in place the ‘Alpha’ and ‘Beta’ bike patrolling teams besides a ‘Gamma’ team and another team patrolling in jeeps moving across the city and areas identified as “crime –prone”.
The first bike patrolling team codenamed ‘Alpha’ has been functioning since 2011 in the city covering the areas where patrol jeeps cannot easily penetrate. The objective of forming the ‘Alpha’ parties was to prevent “crimes on streets”.
The Beta team came into existence in January as extra bike patrolling parties and assigned with the responsibility to cover extended areas and crime-prone spots in the wake of recurring instances of property crimes.
While personnel forming part of the Alpha teams work round-the-clock in shifts, the Beta teams have specific time duration.
Both teams have been formed in each of the 14 police stations falling within the city.
The next to be formed were the 10 ‘Gamma’ teams. Despite patrolling by dedicated teams, the city had been witness to recurring instances of property crimes of different types, including chain snatchings, cheating through attention diversion and burglary, posing a challenge to law enforcers and virtually making light of the presence of such teams.
Culprits riding motorcycles have struck at will on many an occasion if the slew of chain snatchings reported on several occasions earlier and other property offences are any indication.
Although the city police had arrested gangs involved in series of chain snatchings in the city, the offence nevertheless persists as the same crimes reported recently at Golden Rock and Pirattiyur is a pointer.
Police sources say they had stepped vigil by carrying out vehicle checks intensely at 48 chosen spots across the city also covering entry and exit points to check movement of criminals. The checks were being carried out between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Many of the chain snatchings have occurred in broad day light.
A review of the performance of the Alpha and Beta teams were being conducted, the sources said adding that the patrolling teams were being sensitised constantly and were being geared up.
