Police to get ‘Segways’ to patrol Marina, service road

A senior officer of Greater Chennai Traffic Police told DT Next that three vehicles would be introduced on trial basis, after which it would be expanded to other parts of the city.

Right now, police personnel are posted at different entry-exit points to control vehicle movement from the service road to Kamarajar Salai. But it is difficult for them to cover the entire stretch of four kilometres by walk. “The two-wheeled patrol vehicle will help them to move across the service lane to monitor the crowd, regulate traffic and control haphazard parking of vehicles on the stretch. Our personnel are being trained to use the vehicle,” said the officer.

The vehicles will be formally inducted at a function at Marina beach in the coming days. Painted in white, with Chennai Police stickers on either side, the battery-operated vehicles have wider tyres to enable them to travel on the beach sand.

The vehicle will have panniers on either side to keep the police personnel’s belongings, and will also have MP3 players to make recorded announcements. It will have blinkers as seen in police patrol vehicles.

The city police already use four-wheeled buggies to patrol the beach.

At present, the Railway Protection Force at the MGR Chennai Central railway station have such two-wheelers to zip through the platforms swiftly and with ease.

The city traffic police wing is also mulling on forming a separate team of women traffic police personnel to attend offences involving women. “We have decided to deploy them where women would gather in large numbers such as women colleges and temples,” said a senior officer. The other functions of the dedicated team are being arrived at, added the official.