Odisha Police forms teams to curb snatching, other property offences in Bhubaneswar

BHUBANESWAR: The Commissionerate Police has formed separate teams to detect and prevent robberies, thefts, and other property offences in the capital city.

One team in each police station has been constituted to investigate the property offences. Each team comprises one officer and two to three constables.

The officers assigned to investigate cases of snatching, thefts, robbery, and dacoity have been designated as the nodal officers. As decided, the officers will not be given tasks related to law and order.

"POPD teams have been formed under the Bhubaneswar urban police district. We are now assessing the output of the teams engaged a month back. It is an experiment to separate the responsibilities of law and order and investigation," Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash told The New Indian Express. Dash said they are encouraged by the initial results.

The teams besides keeping a close watch on criminals released on bail or out of jails after serving sentences, are also collecting information from other police stations regarding the recent arrests of the accused involved in property offences.

The dedicated personnel is also conducting patrolling in snatching-prone areas of the city.

After reviewing the success of the property offence prevention and detection teams, steps will be taken to engage dedicated officers to probe other offences, said Dash.

On average, two cases of property offences are being detected every day. The city has witnessed a rise in the number of robberies in the last four years.

In 2017, 193 cases of robbery were reported in Bhubaneswar, 194 in 2018, 266 in 2019, and 330 between January and November, last year.

Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Saumendra Priyadarshi has emphasised curbing snatching and other street crimes in the city. He has asked the city police to intensify patrolling and enhance surveillance.