Kolkata, Dec 31 (IANS) A day after recovering arms and ammunition from two locations in the city, Kolkata Police have stepped up security and surveillance ahead of New Year’s celebrations.

A Kolkata Police official said on Wednesday that officers will remain extra vigilant throughout the day as well as for the midnight celebrations. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which was issued ahead of Christmas celebrations, will remain in place till Sunday.

According to police, this has been done to ensure the festivities conclude without any untoward incident. Special focus will be laid on checking drunk and rash driving, especially by motorbikes.

Approximately 2000 police personnel will be deployed on the streets of Kolkata during the New Year celebrations. Senior officers, including Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, and Inspector rank officials, will be stationed at various locations.

Park Street in central Kolkata is beautifully decorated with lights during the New Year celebrations. It draws a huge crowd every year. The city police are taking precautions to prevent any disorder during the celebrations this year, too.

In addition to plainclothes police officers, a special team of women police officers called ‘Winners’ will be on duty there. Four to five watchtowers have been installed in the Park Street area. Quick Response Teams (QRT) and Heavy Radio Flying Squads (HRFS) will also be present at Park Street.

Security will also be reinforced at the Zoological Garden in Alipore, Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, Maidan, Prinsep Ghat, and Millennium Park. Surveillance will be monitored from Lalbazar, and Naka checks will be conducted at various places to prevent drunk driving. Surveillance will also be maintained in the metro services.

On Tuesday, the Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force (STF) recovered multiple firearms and arrested two persons in this connection. According to the police, acting on a tip-off, STF officers detained two young men from Strand Road in Central Kolkata. The recovered firearms included a single-shot pistol, a 7mm pistol, and improvised firearms.

Additionally, 20 to 22 rounds of ammunition were recovered. Meanwhile, another person was arrested in connection with a similar incident in the Alipore area in south Kolkata. Around 11 firearms were recovered from him.

–IANS

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