KOCHI: Police in Kochi have launched a unique initiative called Alert Kerala making the Kerala port city first to involve local community in India’s fight against terror.
The campaign was kick-started last week at a star-studded show led by the homegrown Miss World runner-up Parvathy Omanakkuttan, cricketer Sreeshant, singer K.J. Yesudas and Malayalam superstars Mammootty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi.
The police are recruiting people from a cross section of society including anglers, rickshaw drivers and rag pickers to be trained in terror detection methods to help police prevent a repeat of 26/11.
City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham, who received bouquets for dealing sternly with the eve teasers at the New Year revelry, said the initiative would make people vigilant against suspicious activities.
“We have set a good example for community policing. The police and public work in close cooperation and the residents associations are actively participating in all policing activities to bring down crime in the city,” the commissioner said.
Police believe Kerala is one of the vulnerable targets for terror strikes in future and is prone to such elements taking safe haven in the city. Investigations have shown some locals from Kerala also involved either directly in the act or in planning, supporting or training of terrorists.
“Kerala, particularly its commercial hub of Kochi, is likely to be a target of terrorist attacks,” Abraham said. “So we felt an urgent need to arm ourselves against rising fundamentalism and terrorism so that Kerala remained peaceful and vibrant.”
Alert Kerala is to make the public aware of these problems and need to assist the police in preventing terror acts and to “wean away the disruptive elements from their unlawful acts to build a safer society for the future.”
Police and intelligence officers are now conducting a series of classes on observing and analyzing extremists, detecting and disposing of explosives and general safety and security measures.
“Anglers are trained to track suspicious movements along the coastline to prevent any strike from the sea,” the commissioner said. “All sections of people must keep their eyes and ears open so that terrorists do not strike this part of the world.”
Police have been running a campaign through its New Year greeting cards to alert people against terrorism this year. The public are urged to pass on information about suspicious activities to the confidential hotline number or onto the interactive website www.kochicitypolice.org. Posters, leaflets and a music album were also released at the show.
Information about the residents in each area, including details of their frequent visitors, are being collected and updated regularly. Training is given to residents to spot terror suspects and act swiftly with an aim to build an elaborate network of first-line monitors.
Mobile phones of the traffic police are integrated into the computer network of the police so that they too can easily download details of the vehicle owners and driving license-holders into their handsets.
Police have already formed a coordination committee for all classified hotels and briefed them about the security requirements and security installations to be put in place. Special training was also given to security personnel at these hotels.
Cameras put up in public places to monitor traffic are being upgraded as a potential tool to fight terrorism. Banks are asked to beef up security and to install surveillance cameras at all outlets including ATMs. Mock drills are conducted along with local security personnel as part of auditing the existing security mechanism.
