Cops play audio clips at roads to raise awareness

100 special police officers recruited as extra manpower to help police cope with restrictions


In a new initiative to make citizens aware of the exact civic guidelines about the COVID-19 curfew, Pune police have recorded an audio clip that they are broadcasting via loudspeakers fixed on auto rickshaws and police vans. The audio clip is being played at 18 nakabandi points of the six police stations under deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Zone II. Also, a team of more than 100 special police officers (SPOs) comprising volunteers has been created to help the police with additional manpower.

In the recorded audio clip, police are appealing to citizens to abide by restrictions post 6 pm and not leave home without masks.

They are also requesting that people leave home only for emergencies, and citizens out for work necessarily carry their official ID cards.

There are three nakabandi points at each of the six police stations in Zone II, where the SPOs who are being trained daily have also been deployed.

DCP (Zone II) Sagar Patil said, “We play the audio clips to spread awareness in our zone regarding the civic guidelines to tackle the fresh phase of the COVID pandemic. All junctions that draw a crowd have nakabandi points. We have also registered cases against 23 people under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 188 for leaving home without a valid reason.”

SPO Vikas Bhambure said, “We stand at nakabandi points to help the police. We appeal to citizens to not leave home without a reason, wear masks and keep their ID cards on them.” Jimit Shah, another SPO, said, “Our aim is to spread awareness among the public to help break the chain.”

Senior police inspector (SPI) of Lashkar police station Ashok Kadam told Mirror, “We have trained the SPOs to conduct nakabandi without disturbing the traffic and to properly check documents of citizens. Also, we play the awareness audio clip at all nakabandi points.”