33 arrested in a week since its launch

In just a span of a week after the launch of ‘Hello Police’ by Tirunelveli district police, 19 cases have been booked and 33 accused arrested, according to Superintendent of Police V. Vikraman.

With the new mechanism in place to control crime, the public used ‘Hello Police’ by dialling 9952740740, a common platform provided to share crime-related information with the police for speedy action.

The arrests were made with the aid of a dedicated control room adjacent to the SP’s chamber and through direct phone calls, sharing criminal acts by offenders captured through cell phones, images of crime suspects and so on from the public, the SP told The Hindu on Friday.

The offenders were involved in criminal acts of theft and stealing organic acid meant for a Tuticorin-based chemical company. Fifteen thousand litres of organic acid was recovered from an arrested person.

Besides, a woman accused of kidnapping a girl was caught. Incidents of kidnapping by a gang were thwarted twice through this technologically advanced mechanism. Two gangs with concealed weapons were held after the public informed the police about their suspicious movements. Even inaction or lethargy on the part of the police in registering cases based on complaints lodged by affected people could be shared through this medium.

“In any case, we don’t want to know the informer but sheer information to track any criminal and make a swift arrest is the idea”, Mr. Vikraman said.

Soon, this facility would be extended to rural areas also. To raise more awareness of ‘Hello Police’, he said stickers bearing police phone numbers would be pasted on public transport vehicles, at ration shops, bus stands, railway stations and other places , he said.