AP to beef up coastal security
The AP government will seek Centre’s help for two more marine police battalions to augment the coastal security as the State has the second longest coastline of 974.6 kilometres stretching from Itchapuram in Srikakulam to Nellore, said DGP J V Ramudu here on Friday. It is necessary to beef up the coastal security after intelligence wing identified 400 potential landing points for the terrorists’ intrusion through the coast, he said.
Seeks 2 more marine police battalions
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Visakhapatnam: The AP government will seek Centre’s help for two more marine police battalions to augment the coastal security as the State has the second longest coastline of 974.6 kilometres stretching from Itchapuram in Srikakulam to Nellore, said DGP J V Ramudu here on Friday. It is necessary to beef up the coastal security after intelligence wing identified 400 potential landing points for the terrorists’ intrusion through the coast, he said.
The DGP inaugurated Coastal Security Police Station at Pudimadaka area under Atchutapuram mandal in Vizag on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, he admitted that there was staff crunch and lack of infrastructure in ensuring coastal security. Ramudu said the marine police battalions raised entirely by direct recruitment and funded by the Centre on the lines of the Indian Reserve Battalions (IRB) would be sought for the State.
The IRBs are elite units sanctioned to the States, which are equipped and trained to deal with specific situation such as cordon and search operations, combing, counter ambush and VVIP security. Another reason for strengthening the coastline, Ramudu said State would be having 14 more ports linking strategic industries in the hinterland. “All these need an specialised coastal security set-up,’’ he added.
The DGP also stated that the Coastal Security Police would be independent elite force in AP on par with the anti-naxal force Greyhounds once Marine Police Training Institute at Machilipatnam starts functioning. He said that there are 14,000 vacancies in all the categories (constable, sub-inspectors and DSPs) in police department, the state government is likely to recruit more number of police personnel at different levels to fill thousands of vacancies in various categories and wings, including CSP.
There is also a proposal for appointing qualified fisher-folk youth as special police officers in villages along the coast and also home guards in the CSP, he added. Among other plans, top cop said a proposal has been sent for setting up 10 check posts and five outposts at strategic places in addition to the existing 21 marine police stations in the State.
And to modernise the force, 30 fast interceptor boats (FIB) will be added to sea force in AP by March 2016. The government placed orders for 30 FIBs with Garden Reach Shipbuilding and Engineers, Kolkata which would cost Rs 60 crore. Presently CSP have 18 FIBs, he said. Out of 21 existing CSP Stations in the State, 9 police stations have their own buildings. None of the stations has their own captive jetties, which are essential for parking the interceptor boats. The DGP said that seven captive jetties will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs3.5 crore.
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