Police Kiosks in Kolkata Police kiosks all over the city of Kolkata act as immediate responders to anyone who cannot reach the police station regarding complaints of crime, taxi refusals and other law and order issues. On a Police Kiosk users can: 1. Report a Crime 2. Report a Suspicious Package 3. Find the nearest Police Station 4. Report Vandalism 5. Report a Traffic Obstruction 6. Report Lost or Found Property 7. Make an Emergency Call Police Kiosks Offer: 1. Friendly interface to report Crime 2. Anonymous interaction 3. Police Presence 4. Crime Information Point 5. A chance to report crimes as they happen The Police Kiosk is a very versatile form of the police box to allow a dialogue to take place between the citizens and police. Kiosks are application-specific product designed to allow the public to interface with the Police in a friendly and informal way. They come in various styles and constructed generally of wood to cast iron. The Police Kiosk reduces crime by a variable amount. Ideally, a kiosk should be manned by an ASI armed with a revolver along with a constable. However, there have been instances of ASIs not carrying their revolvers so that they can leave for home from the kiosk. Carrying a revolver would require the cops to go back to the local police stations to deposit the arms and ammunition. Nowadays, very few kiosks are manned by ASIs due to paucity of manpower in Kolkata Police. Most of the kiosks are found to be having either two unarmed constables or one constable and one home guard/green police, both unarmed. As both the police personnel deployed at the kiosks are unarmed, fifty percent of the deterrent effect for criminals and goons is gone. Further, our personnel deployed in kiosks aren’t trained properly for a quick, effective response to an SOS,” said a top officer who did not wish to be named. “That’s the primary reason why our kiosks aren’t of much use.” There are hundreds of Kolkat Police. None of these kiosks has even a motorbike for the cops to chase someone accused of a crime. Their only piece of worthwhile equipment is a walkie-talkie and a telephone connection. In most cases, kiosks function as not more than public assistance booths. Cops posted in these kiosks are authorised to register general diaries, but seldom do so. “Our brief is to act on complaints about taxi refusal, rash driving, teasing and the like. The onus is on the personnel to decide whether they should leave the kiosk to pursue a complaint,” a constable said. So are disinterested cops responsible for the kiosks becoming ineffective? “How can we chase a culprit when we don’t have the means to do so? Kiosk duty is a thankless job,” the constable claimed.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 20:34:31 +0000
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