Opinion: It’s all about visibility when it comes to policing, writes Walter I Davaram

This is commendable because this has been achieved, though the number of policemen is far less than what is required. 

Visibility is the most important factor for the police, both from the point of view of the criminals as well as the law-abiding citizens. Criminals should be scared  of their act and for this there should be a lot of uniformed men around the city in public places and streets. The law-abiding citizens also need to see them in the open as that would instil confidence in them. 

Traditionally, there are some places, such as Pulianthope and Vyasarpadi, where crime rates are high and need constant policing. These are tenement areas and patrolling should be intensified. 

Patrolling naturally implies more mobility and for mobility, the vehicles are  essential. What is normally allocated for a station may be enough for  routine policing, but for emergencies, the number needs to be more. Some areas of crime have become more active in the present, compared to the past, like chain snatching etc. To curb such crimes, visibility is crucial. Patrol by foot, bike and cycle are as important as patrolling by car because of the nature of our narrow streets. In this too, Chennai (police) is better than most of the cities in India. 

The all-woman police stations are later-day additions and there are 30 to 40 such stations in the city. Such stations became necessary because of the increase in crimes against women. 

Having said mobility is important, I must now turn to another aspect that the police needs. They need more rest and more incentives to carry out their work. Because of the insufficient number of people in the force, they are often required to put in more than their required quota of duty hours.  Usually, their duty is for eight hours and they need two-thirds of their day for rest. But they have absolutely no rest as more often than not, the duty hours extend beyond the stipulated time. Similar is the case with the one off day for every six days of work, which too cannot be followed in many cases for obvious reasons. The staff quarters are also not available to many and if this is given to the field staff, it will be easier to motivate them.