Cops mull integrating bank alarm systems with nearby police stns

Kolkata: Kolkata Police is contemplating to connect alarm system of banks with the local police stations to get instant alerts in case of any emergency.

This comes after a robbery attempt was detected at the New Market branch of a nationalised bank on Monday morning. The bank manager found that miscreants had tried to cut open the vault. When he tried to see the CCTV footage, he found the wires were cut to disconnect the cameras. Later, he informed the New Market police station. The cops found that the robbers had used some sort of a sharp object to cut the vault door. They had also broken two boxes containing coins which they did not take. Failing to cut the vault door, robbers left the bank.

According to sources, after the incident, senior Kolkata Police officials decided to increase the security of the banks across the city and instructed the OCs to visit the banks to review their security systems. On Tuesday, in Charu Market area, police went to a number of banks and reviewed the security and alarm systems.

Police sources informed that though every bank has its own alarm system, it works locally to alert the people inside the bank and those in the surrounding areas. If the alarm system gets connected with local police stations, then police will get an instant alert in case of any emergency, for instance robbery.

For this, the alarm system needs to be connected through wires to a centralised system. At present, the feasibility of the plan is being checked.