While speaking about how footage from CCTV cameras helped police in apprehending the accused in a theft in the city outskirts at Surathkal, Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil on Friday asked residents, especially those living in isolated areas, to install such cameras and other safety gadgets at their homes.
At a function organised to return to owners the property recovered, Mr. Patil said crime prevention measures taken by police alone would not prevent thefts. It was important for people too to adopt some of the measures including installation of CCTVs and other access control devices at their houses.
Taking the instance of the theft in Surathkal’s NMPT Colony in December 2018, Mr. Patil said, “There was not much evidence about the housebreakers other than the footage of the CCTV (installed at the entrance of the house). We could clearly see the way thieves entered the house. This footage was crucial in catching one of the two accused in the case,” he said.
The return of articles to the rightful owners was part of police’s citizen-friendly initiative, Mr. Patil said. It also showed people the transparent working style of the police. The police were working hard to maintain law and order and also doing well in catching offenders in theft and other criminal cases. They were coming down on those possessing and selling cannabis and other narcotic substances.
Mr. Patil asked people to make use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media to give information to the police.
Gold ornaments worth ₹3.72 crore, two-wheelers, and other material were seized from the accused arrested in cases of thefts reported in 2018 and in the four months of 2019. Mr. Patil on Friday initiated the exercise of returning the recovered articles to the owners.