Kolkata Police ropes in bars to stop people from drinking and driving

Bars in Kolkata were directed by the police to use breathalysers on customers, and prevent those found to be drunk beyond the permissible limit from driving back home.

Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal on Saturday said the directive was issued to all bars in the city to prevent drunk driving.

"Drunk driving is a legal offence. It's the reason for several road accidents. We have already sent a directive to all the bars in the city to purchase breathalysers to test every person leaving the bar after drinking. The bars must not allow them to drive back home in case they are found intoxicated beyond a certain level," he said.

If a person is found to be drinking excessively, the bars must ensure that he is not driving or riding a bike, Goyal said.

"The bar will arrange for the person to reach home by other means. If necessary, they can also take the help of the police," he added.

The bars would give slips to those undergoing the tests, and these slips can be shown at checkpoints to prevent further tests, the officer said.

Deaths due to road accidents in Kolkata have reduced from 450 in 2016 to 185 in 2022, he said.

Goyal was speaking at a session on 'Kolkata -- Safety and Security -- Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow', organised by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce.

Joint Commissioner (Crime) Murli Dhar, Joint Commissioner (Intelligence) Kalyan Mukhopadhyay, Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) SK Yadav and Deputy Commissioner (South East Division) Sudeep Sarkar also attended the programme.

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The Kolkata Police has also decided to install 3,000 more CCTV cameras across the city, including the narrow lanes, Goyal said.

Expressing concern over the rising number of cyber crimes, he said every police station in the city will have at least four trained police personnel to deal with such incidents.

"Already 3,000 police personnel have been trained in this regard, while another 2,000 are undergoing training," he said.

Referring to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data, Murli Dhar said crimes against women were lowest in Kolkata among the 19 metros in India in 2021.

"To strengthen the safety of women, 50 bikes will be kept at various police stations in the city to reach a spot quickly,"