Petty crimes like looting and burglary have already surged over the few past weeks, said police spokesman Deputy Superintendent of Police (DIG) Bigyan Sharma. He warned that prisoners attempting jailbreaks, absconding criminals and others on the look out for chances of making big through illegal enterprise might accrue the benefits of prolonged blackouts. [break]
“Feelings of insecurity increase in darkness. Not only of the public, but even the police face difficulty,” Sharma said. “We will soon come up with comparable data regarding the increase in crimes.”
Failing to charge communication equipments, the cops have been facing hard times co-coordinating with each other. They have also been facing difficulty keeping track of criminals. Nepal police has installed CCTVs in six prime crime-prone areas of the capital, including Singha Durbar, Baneshwar, Koteshwar and Chabahil, which simply have gone useless without power.
No district police office, not even those within the capital, has power back-up arrangements. “Custody management is a big problem,” said Lalmani Acharya, DSP of Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu (MPRK), which accommodates up to 200 detainees every day.
The central jail in Tripureshwar has around 1700 inmates and Dillibazaar jail around 400. Both jails do not have power back-up. “You can imagine how horrible those places might turn without light,” said Sharma. This could pose threat to traffic management as well. Hit and run cases are likely to increase in the dark, say officials.
According to Sharma, businesses like jewelry shops, money exchange, co-operatives and finances will be under the biggest security threat. “Precaution and vigilance is better than anything,” he warned.
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