After two high-profile bank robberies in Bidar and Mangaluru recently, police units across several districts including Bengaluru city, have taken up a security audit and review.

City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, along with all senior police officials in the city, patrolled the city themselves, took charge of selected police stations, and interacted with staff and people who visited them, Friday night.

Mr. Dayananda took charge as the Station House Officer (SHO) of Sadashivanagar Police Station between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., Saturday morning. 

In addition to patrolling, police checked on commercial establishments, including late-night stores and ATMs ensuring their security arrangements were intact. Specific attention was paid to poorly lit areas, isolated streets, and locations with a history of criminal activity. “This exercise aimed to restore public confidence, deter further criminal activities, and get updates of the existing security measures and patrolling system to discuss ways and means to improve upon it,” a senior city police official said.

Similar exercises were carried out in the Central Range covering the Bengaluru district, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapura, Kolar, KGF, and other districts. 

“While senior police officials patrolled their areas themselves in the night, SHOs have been holding meetings with bank officials and representatives of cash management and transport firms to discuss their security protocols and coordination with the police,” Labhu Ram, Inspector General of Police (Central Range) told The Hindu. Now the focus is on security protocols at banks, ATM kiosks, and cash transfer vehicles.

“We have noted down certain points for improvement and these will be worked upon in the short term,” a city police official said. 

Following this, patrolling teams were strategically deployed across high-risk areas identified through previous incidents and community reports. Officers conducted door-to-door interactions in select neighborhoods, encouraging residents to report suspicious activities and adopt safety measures such as improved lighting and secure locks.