123 Kolkata: All police stations in Kolkata have been asked to complete updating their list of criminals in a register by this month. Referred to as the ‘Rough Register' in police parlance, each police station records names and other details of criminals in its jurisdiction, including the cases they are involved in and their arrest dates, in it.
This is part of a process to improve intelligence gathering and prevent a recurrence of the incident in Kasba a week earlier in which a criminal had branished a gun at the local councillor.
Senior officers believe tracking criminals with a history of using firearms can lead to cutting down on the entry of arms into the city. The process will run hand-in-hand with tracking the new addresses of criminals. Earlier, Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Verma had instructed his juniors to ensure that "another Kasba-like incident" does not take place.
The top cop has also asked for greater coordination among units to increase the visibility of cops on all major roads. The decisions were conveyed during the monthly crime conference that was held on Saturday.
The police said that since the attack on the councillor in Kasba, all stations have been advised to be more vigilant. Lalbazar has stepped up searches to recover weapons. Recently, a young man was attacked in Jorabagan, north Kolkata, and three people were arrested .
Lalbazar detectives recently discovered that many new police stations, especially surrounding Bhangar and some added areas, have not updated their ‘Rough Register'. In several areas, new criminals have emerged, but their details remain sketchy.