As part of efforts toward community policing, the Tiruppur City Police is set to roll out a dedicated beat system to maximise its reach among the public.
Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar said that the beat system will be officially launched by next week, although the preparatory works have been underway since November 2019. Under this system, Tiruppur city will be divided into 22 beats, with two police constables working in shifts for each beat.
“The constables must have at least 200 contacts on their phones from their [respective] beats,” Mr. Kumar said. The constables were advised to build these contacts from the public residing within the beat and form a dedicated WhatsApp group. “Through this, whatever message we send will reach at least 4,400 people,” Mr. Kumar told The Hindu.
Even at the preparatory stage, the response from the public has been positive, with the public offering tip-offs (particularly in ganja cases) and even suggestions through the WhatsApp groups, he said. “This will be the backbone of the policing system,” Mr. Kumar said, with the public functioning as the “extended hands” of the police. “Since we are taking action immediately, we have also [been] able to double the confidence among the public about the police,” Mr. Kumar said.
Regarding crime in 2019, Mr. Kumar said that out of 27 murder cases registered in Tiruppur city last year, 26 have been solved and the accused were remanded in judicial custody. The number of property theft cases decreased by 17% in 2019 in comparison to the previous year, with 252 out of 277 cases being solved and property worth ₹1,51,84,870 being recovered and handed over to the complainants, he said.
Tiruppur city police also seized 118 kg of ganja and 2,322 kg of banned tobacco products in 2019. Mr. Kumar noted that there had been a decrease of 9% in the reporting of crimes against women in comparison with 2018, with convictions in four cases at the Tiruppur Mahila Court. A total of 21 accused arrested for various crimes were detained under the Goondas Act in Tiruppur city last year, according to Mr. Kumar.
