Making a Difference

'We R for U'

We are here to protect one of Hyderabad's most beautiful and visited areas --- The area around the Hussain Sagar Lake. With the implementation of the best Surveillance Technology (The first of its kind in India), The Lake Police has ensured that the Hussain Sagar lake area is one of the safest areas in the city.

The Lake Police program began on February 23rd, 2003. Since then, about 103 people have been saved from committing suicide. (95% of suicide cases have been prevented. We would like to make it 100%).

Why our job is so important

NTR Gardens, Lumbini Park, Sanjeevaiah Park, Necklace Road, IMAX theater, and boating are just some of the attractions surrounding the Hussain Sagar Lake. As the sun rises, about 400 walkers take a morning walk around the 9.3 kms stretch around the lake everyday. Soon there will be a rock garden, food courts, People plaza, MMT Railway station and Wonder land --- all of which are expected to attract many more people and maybe about 1.25 lakhs people and 25,000 vehicles on week ends & holidays.

But the increase in the number of people visiting the area has, unfortunately, resulted in the increase in the crime rate. In 2001, there were just eight cases of thefts, pick pocketing and the destruction of property belonging to the HUDA / MCH combined. But in 2002, such incidents rose by 150% to 24 cases. The year 2002 also saw an increase of 120% in cases of prostitution, eve teasing, and road accidents involving drunken young men.

As for suicides, an average of 100 bodies are found in this lake. In 2001, the figure was 94 bodies. Only one case in 2001 has been found to be a murder, the rest were suicides. In 2002, 83 bodies were found out of which 20 were of women.

How we do our work

The Lake Police has a surveillance system that allows us to zero in on any corner of the area under our vigilance. We have cameras set up in strategic points that monitor the area 24 hours a day and seven days a week. There is always a person sitting in front of the computer watching the screen for any unlawful activity. As soon as we recognize an unlawful activity, we respond to it in a matter of minutes. We contact a police officer closet to the place of action and ensure an arrest immediately.
The cameras that we have are so powerful that we can zoom in on a person's face 3 Kms away. This is the first time in India that such surveillance measures are being employed.