Cuttack, Aug 18:
In a bid to strengthen policing and check the soaring crime graph in the city, Cuttack is set to have a new police station soon. The Markatnagar police station here, which was formed after splitting Bidanasi police station in 2008, would further split to have a second PS in Abhinav Bidanasi. "This is being done to intensify policing in the crime-prone area," said a senior police officer.

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Abhinav Bidanasi, set up by Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) as a satellite township of the Millennium city, now has nearly 40,000 households with a combined population of 1.70 lakh, including 20,000 dwellers settled in seven nearby slums.

Highly placed sources said the new police commissioner of the city is keen to make operational the newly sanctioned police stations to streamline policing in the city that has suffered a setback following a rise in all forms of major crime. The new police station to come up at Sector 11 of CDA would be named as CDA Phase-II police station, sources said.

While construction of the new police station building is over, the State Government has made the required sanction of posts to man the new policing centre, said Markatnagar police station in-charge officer DP Patra. Apart from one inspector, the new PS would have four sub-inspectors, five assistant sub-inspectors, two havildars and 20 constables, he added.

The vast stretch of the satellite township with 15 sectors covering an area of 14 square kilometres, which is located in the western limits of the city, is difficult to police. With its strategic location and a porous border, criminals operating elsewhere use it as a safe haven for hiding, said a senior police officer of the city. He said the satellite township now has many unoccupied buildings which are being used as hideouts by criminals.

Analysing the crime statistics in the city, he pointed out that theft, burglary and chain snatching are the major crimes reported here. But due to sincere and dedicated night patrolling and community policing system such as Aama Police, the crime situation is improving here, he pointed out.

While the police station here registered a total of 176 cases in the entire year of 2012, it has recorded 115 cases by the end of July this year. Similarly, while there were 14 chain snatching cases in 2012, the PS has registered only four cases by July end this year. (PTI)