Chennai police have deployed 18,000 personnel across the city’s busiest shopping areas ahead of Diwali, adding watchtowers, drones, facial recognition, CCTV cameras and temporary control rooms to manage crowds and prevent theft during the festival shopping rush.
Greater Chennai Police Commissioner A Amalraj directed officials to strengthen security in commercial areas expected to see heavy footfall, including T. Nagar, Pondy Bazaar, Purasawalkam, NSC Bose Road, MC Road, GA Road, Koyambedu and Anna Nagar. The arrangements are aimed at monitoring crowds and preventing crimes such as chain-snatching, pickpocketing and other forms of theft.
Police have installed 25 temporary watchtowers at key locations. T. Nagar has 10 watchtowers, while Flower Bazaar and Kilpauk have four each. Washermenpet, Triplicane and Koyambedu have two watchtowers each, and one has been set up in Adyar. A total of 37 binocular surveillance teams have also been assigned to monitor suspicious activity.
The security plan includes 12 temporary control rooms, 37 assistance centres and 10 mini CCTV control rooms. Police have added 205 CCTV cameras at important locations and are using 100 body-worn cameras among personnel deployed for crowd management. Seven drone cameras are operating in T. Nagar, Flower Bazaar, Triplicane and Koyambedu.
The measures also include public communication systems intended to help manage large gatherings. Four large LED screens and 66 public address systems are being used to broadcast safety instructions and warnings against theft in crowded shopping areas. Plainclothes police personnel have been stationed at commercial locations to identify and respond to suspected offenders.
A further 199 police teams equipped with a Facial Recognition System mobile application have been deployed to identify and monitor suspected criminals and habitual offenders, according to the report. Mobile X-ray baggage scanners are also being used to check belongings at shopping malls and markets.
The deployment reflects the operational challenge of managing festival shopping in dense commercial districts, where large pedestrian crowds, traffic movement and concentrated retail activity overlap. The police arrangements combine fixed observation points, mobile surveillance, public announcements, assistance facilities and additional personnel across multiple parts of the city.
The security measures will remain focused on the identified shopping centres and markets during the Diwali shopping period, with police personnel assigned to crowd management and crime prevention.
