December 23, 2013
Kolkata Police prepares for tight-rope security during year end festivities
Kolkata Police is making unprecedented security arrangements for the city's party street for the Christmas-New Year week. Over 500 personnel will keep a strict vigil on Park Street and plainclothesmen will be posted outside restaurants to stop any form of sexual harassment.
At least, three Radio Flying Squads – including an all-women team that kept watch during Durga Puja – will be deputed.
The footfall, crowd behavior, crime pattern and traffic problems from previous years have been studied by the Police. Depending on the inputs, the administration has divided Park Street into different zones, each headed by an assistant commissioner. An officer of the rank of an additional-CP will be in charge on December 24-25 and New Year's Eve.
For the first time, CCTV footage will be preserved for future reference and police will be in touch with restaurant, bar and hotel owners to ensure that any confrontation inside the hotel is reported immediately. Officials are keen to ensure that brawls don't spill on to the streets. Restaurants and pubs have been asked to preserve complete CCTV footage.
Restaurant owners are happy with the new security arrangements. It will make the party zone safer, they say. With footfall doubling on Christmas and New Year eves, most stay open till 1 am or 2 am, an extended closing time which is allowed only on special occasions.
