New coastal police station at Azhikode

Thrissur: Round-the-clock sea patrolling around five nautical miles from the Kodungalloor shoreline will begin on Monday with the inauguration of a coastal police station at Azhikode in Kodungalloor.

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan would inaugurate the coastal police station, the second in the State, at 9.30 a.m., Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran said at a press conference here on Sunday.

The patrolling would later be extended to 12 nautical miles off the shoreline extending from Kodungalloor to Puthu Ponnani. The police station would have two 12-tonne interceptor speedboats, a five-tonne boat, a jeep and two motorcycles.

It would have a total strength of 67 personnel, including a circle inspector, three sub-inspectors, three additional sub-inspectors, nine head constables, 30 constables, two drivers and six boat-drivers.

��The station will start functioning with 15 re-deployed personnel trained by the coast guard, Superintendent of Police M.P. Dinesh said. The station would have telescopes, a watch tower with radar and high-frequency communication gear. A building to house the station was constructed at a cost of Rs.28 lakh. Each 12-tonne interceptor speedboat would cost Rs.2.5 crore.