Elite policing vehicle, Mini Falcon, launched in Chittoor

To strengthen law and order at the grassroots level, the Chittoor district police launched the ‘Mini Falcon’ on Wednesday — a compact, state-of-the-art surveillance vehicle designed to undertake operations in small towns, villages, and congested streets, where regular patrol vehicles can not reach.

Superintendent of Police V.N. Manikanta Chandolu flagged off the Mini Falcon at the Old DPO Parade Grounds here. The SP termed it ‘a first-of-its-kind innovation in India’ and said that it represented a major leap in community policing.

As of now, the Chittoor police mainly depended on the full-sized Falcon vehicle, known for deployment during major temple events, bandobasth duties, and large public meetings and political rallies. The Mini Falcon, specially re-engineered with support from the Acts Mahila Mutually Aided Co-operative Thrift Society Limited (AMMACTS), would assist the police on patrol and bandobasth duties to move swiftly and reach the trouble spots in a short time.

The SP said that the new vehicle has been equipped with a 360-degree PTZ camera, fixed-point cameras on three sides, and advanced storage with UPS-backed power. “This ensures uninterrupted surveillance for up to four hours and holds the capacity to connect to external power for 24/7 operations. Apart from regular bandobasth duties, the Mini Falcon can also curb crimes such as theft and eve-teasing in crowded junctions,” Mr. Manikanta Chandolu said.

The SP highlighted that the Mini Falcon would conduct policing in the remote and inaccessible terrains, where the public needed the police presence most. “It reflects our commitment to make public safety our topmost priority,” he said.

The SP thanked AMMACTS chairman G. Dasarath Reddy for supporting the advanced surveillance project in Chittoor, and said it would serve as a model for “police-community collaboration.”

“The modern policing facility for the Chittoor police will set a benchmark for law enforcement agencies across the country, effectively combining innovation, mobility, and technology for grassroots-level security,” the SP said.