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Eighty-four of the 85 police stations in namma Chennai boast of stylish white Hyundai Accents bearing beacons. One of them has no car but something bigger and better – a state-of-the-art speedboat costing a whopping Rs. 1 crore. The B6 Port Marine police station inside the Chennai Port, perhaps the only police station in South India with a speedboat patrol, keeps vigil over the seas from Ennore in the north to Thiruvanmiyur in the south.
With a strength of 27 policemen patrolling in three shifts, the boat is referred to as the 'floating police station'.
The history of the floating police station dates back to 1895, when a police constable was posted on the sands following an increase in ship traffic on the Madras shores. Later, in 1910, the Marine and Harbour police were formed due to the escalating number of thefts from anchorage ships.
The first patrol boat under the Port Marine police station, E.L. Stracey, was sent out to sea on March 28, 1990. The Port Marine team has a history of stringent surveillance and had even captured an LTTE boat two years ago. The hi-tech boat in use was handed over by the then Shipping Minister T.R. Baalu on May 4, 2007.
Under the guidance of an Assistant Commissioner of Police (Port Marine), the team of armed policemen (one Sub Inspector and four constables) and two rescue divers scans 5 nautical miles for pirates and monitors movement of fishermen near large anchored vessels.
"We scan the waters thoroughly. Apart from that, deaths, thefts and any other kind of criminal activity within 5 nautical miles in the water comes under our jurisdiction," says Mohammed Mutahir Hussain, AC, Port Marine police station, amidst a patrolling shift on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Inspector Sheik Ahmed, his patrol team also does surveillance on the waters near the Kasimedu fishing harbour. "There is a possibility for fishermen to find a bigger catch where the ships are anchored and some might even try to enter the ships to commit theft," he adds.
The speedboat, owned by a private operator and rented by the Chennai Port Trust, is a 310 bhp twin-screw engine with 250 rpm and a top speed of 16-18 nautical miles per hour.
With a capacity for 12 persons and sleeping space for six, the boat is equipped with advanced communication facilities, including GPS and radar. This patrol vehicle of the City Police costs the Chennai Port a daily rent of Rs. 26,000 only.
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