The modernisation process introduced in the State Police department after Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) came to power in 2014 proved to be a boon for police personnel not only when it came to tackling crime, but also in maintaining law and order.
From modernisation, strengthening the department with required manpower to providing swanky SUVs and motorcycles, the State government left no stone unturned in according top priority to the force to maintain law and order.
Within a few weeks after coming to power in 2014, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao launched the first phase of multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) with much fanfare at Tank Bund. As many as 100 Toyota Innovas and 300 motorbikes were flagged off under the ‘Safe and Smart City’ initiative.
Since then, the department continued to introduce a series of technology-driven initiatives, including CCTV installation, Hawk Eye, Hydcop apps and crime mapping, among others. This also enabled the police to control crime rate — barring cybercrimes, which registered an upward trend.
The construction of the world-class twin towers housing the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate and Integrated Command and Control Centre on Road No.12 in Banjara Hills will be an icon in the history of the police department. Work on the 20-storey tower and another with 15 storey taken up at a cost of over Rs 400 crore is likely to be completed by Dasara 2019.
Installation of surveillance cameras at strategic areas and residential colonies helped the police detect as many as 3,256 cases in the city. The images captured by the CCTV network provided vital clues to investigating officers in solving several sensational cases.
SHE Teams introduced for the safety and security of women turned into an ideal platform for women to lodge complaints against those harassing them and also those indulging in harassment on Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms. Such was the response that police officials from several States visited the city to study the concept.
Owing to various initiatives, the Punjagutta police station was adjudged the second best police station in the country in a survey conducted by the Quality Council of India and Ministry of Home Affairs. For the last four and half years, the State government spent crores of rupees on modernisation of the department, which succeeded in maintaining law and order effectively. Retired police officials said the department witnessed a massive change after being equipped with modern technology.
“The modernisation process launched in 2014 helped the police reach the number one position in the country. The same process must continue in future also,” former Director-General of Police Pervaram Ramulu said. #KhabarLive
