Cops battle chain snatching with Navratri greeting cards

Dahisar police will dispense these cards at local housing societies with information on frequently occurring crimes like chain snatching; other police stations may follow suit

Cops battle chain snatching with Navratri greeting cards

The passion and pageantry of the festive season brings people closer together – only some of them have ulterior motives. Dahisar police has come up with an innovative initiative to ensure that incidents like chain and bag-snatching, fake cops duping citizens etc are minimised so they don’t put a dampener on the gaiety and convivial atmosphere all around.u00a0

The cops have printed 500 greeting cards that will be distributed in the many housing societies of Dahisar.

At the front is a salutation from the police station, a photo of Ambe Mata, and below it the words ‘Happy Navratri’. However, when the card is opened it has photos and illustrations of crimes like chain-snatching and awareness messages.

Spreading the word: The front and inside of the greeting card to be distributed by Dahisar police

Senior Inspector Ansar Pirzade of Dahisar police station said, “Due to the ever-increasing number of incidents of chain-snatching, phoney cops cheating people etc we have taken up this programme.”

The funding for the project will be provided by Additional Commissioner of Police (North Zone) Sunil Paraskar. More than 25 personnel from Dahisar police station are involved in this project.

At least two dozen chain-snatching occurrences have been reported in Dahisar this year alone – apart from other forms of crime.

Three of these cases have been solved.

“Cops cannot be deployed everywhere; sometimes people’s awareness has to play its part. Crimes that are usually considered petty can hurt the common man a great deal. We have had women coming to the police station and crying after losing jewellery gifted to them by their respective spouses. Such felonies must be curbed,” said Pirzade.

In fact, police stations in Samta Nagar and other neighbouring areas are also thinking of emulating this initiative by Dahisar cops.

Pirzade said, “Police personnel will visit housing societies and hold meetings. This will ensure that a large number of residents participate. Also, cops will demonstrate strategies to be adopted by citizens to stay safe.”

During the recently concluded Ganeshotsav, Mumbai police commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh had ordered banners to be put up with details and photographs of all chain-snatchers on record. These public notices were erected in crowded areas and spots where such crimes occur frequently. Owing to the project some criminals were also arrested.u00a0

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