Property offenders, not rowdies, get cops' goat

Police in eastern and southeastern parts of Bengaluru have adopted a different method to check the increasing thefts of property.

They are parading property offenders, more than rowdies, as part of the crime prevention month.

“We have conducted a few such parades and will continue with them as such exercises in the past have given good results,” Additional Commissioner of Police (East) P Harishekaran told Deccan Herald.

The East and Southeast police divisions together contribute for about 60 per cent of property offences. There are three times more property offenders than rowdies. Since these parts of Bengaluru are close to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu borders, property offenders quickly sneak into the neighbouring states, he added.

Then, there are property offenders from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu who commit the offences in Bengaluru and flee to their home states. The Bengaluru police sent 10 different teams to the two states in the past one year.

These efforts have borne fruit and property thefts have come down by 30 per cent, Harishekaran said.

Considering property thefts, the police decided to parade them along with rowdies as part of the crime prevention month.

They instructed the families of the suspects to watch them. The police have so far conducted at least five such parades and are closely watching the property offenders. They have also obtained bonds and sureties from the suspects’ families.

On Tuesday, the Southeast division police paraded more than 200 property offenders and 50 rowdies at CAR (South) grounds.  The police questioned them about their activities and occupations and warned them.