KATHMANDU, Oct 1: Metropolitan Police Commissioner's Office, Ranipokhari has decided to deploy over 5,000 police personnel in the three districts of the Kathmandu Valley as per the festival security strategy in the valley.
Keeping in mind the trend of crime incidents soaring in the valley during festival season, the Metropolitan Police has planned to effectively enforce security measures to protect financial institutions and banks, customers in market places, shopping malls, unattended homes and residents during Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals.
AIG Pratap Singh Thapa, Commissioner at Metropolitan Police Commissioner's Office, said that the police would maintain tight vigil across the valley during the period.
As per the MPCO, the three Metropolitan Police Range Offices have already started implementing their security plans that involve maximum utilization of human resources, intelligence and available technologies.
SSP Bikram Singh Thapa, chief of Metropolitan Police Range Office Kathmandu, said, “Unlike in the past, this time we will use sniffer dogs, checkpoints and frisking to discourage people from carrying firecrackers around.”
He said that around 4,000 police personnel in uniform and plainclothes will be deployed only in Kathmandu.
According to the festival security strategy, the police have formed separate groups for temple security, controlling black-marketing, monitoring food quality, and preventing lottery scams and gambling.
Meanwhile, the police have been using information provided by thieves in their custody to arrest possible looters and burglars in crime prone areas. The police have also deployed separate teams at various goat markets.
We have also formed Quick Response Teams (QRT) or mobile units to respond to emergencies, SSP Thapa said.
Citing that a sizeable number of Kathmanduties leave Kathmandu during the festival season, giving thieves ample opportunity to break into their homes, the police have vowed to keep close vigil of various neighborhoods.
The police have also urged the public to take personal security measures to prevent theft.
Similarly, the police have also stepped up security along major highways to foil robberies and avert road accidents during the holidays.
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