The “entrance” of Villivakkam police station is not particularly inviting. Two-wheelers of police personnel are now parked in the space that till the time lockdown began was a waiting hall for visitors with steel chairs, bubble-top water cans and saplings.
The change in look is necessary to send across a message that visitors are not encouraged to visit the station premises unless they can’t file the complaint online.
With many police personnel testing positive for COVID-19, those at the stations are extra cautious while allowing complainants to visit their facility to register complaints. They want residents to make online complaints as far as possible.
All the 140 police stations within the Greater Chennai Police Commissionarate, which has 12 police districts including Anna Nagar, T. Nagar, St. Thomas Mount, Adyar, Ambattur and Flower Bazzar, have blocked the entrance of their respective stations with tapes and steel barricades to prevent complainants from entering the station premises. Those who are insisting on meeting the police personnel must adhere to safety rules such as wearing masks. They are allowed only after proper verification by the duty police constable.
A few police stations including Nungambakkam, Choolaimedu and Flower Bazaar that had a few positive cases were closed for a few days to disinfect the entire station premises.
“During the lockdown period, we got only petty cases mainly through phone calls. We go to the spot and resolve the issue then and there rather than make the complainant visit the police station,” says G. Murugesan, inspector (Law & Order), Chintadripet police station.
Urgent complaints such as those related to domestic violence, women’s harassment, crime against senior citizens and children were given priority. Other regular complaints such as land dispute and quarrelling between neighbours and public nuisance were not encouraged.
As most of the duty police personnel at the station are attending to other duties such as enforcement of lockdown rules and overseeing relief centres, the police station is manned only by a few police personnel including the station writer.
Therefore, petitioners are encouraged to file online complaints with the police to prevent them from unnecessarily venturing out of their houses.
