Kolkata Police boost security in festival seasons with high-tech portable baggage scanners

Kolkata: The Kolkata Police are strengthening security infrastructure, such as deployment of vehicle-mounted X-ray baggage scanners, ahead of the festive season, a senior officer said on Wednesday.

Two units of such portable scanners at a cost of nearly Rs two crore have been deployed with an aim to ensure "quick and efficient" bag inspections in high footfall areas, he said.

"During large-scale events like Durga Puja or political rallies, the volume of footfalls increases manifold. Manual checking of every bag becomes impossible. For such situations, we need a system that is both mobile and capable of rapid, high-volume scanning,” the police officer told PTI.

Describing the new X-ray baggage scanners, he said that these machines are mounted on air-conditioned vehicles, can be taken to high footfall zones such as venues of rallies or tourist hotspots.

“With these mobile scanners, we can reach any location quickly and inspect luggage thoroughly without creating bottlenecks,” the Kolkata Police officer said.

"Each unit is capable of scanning up to 300 bags per hour, a higher throughput compared to manual checks," he said.

The new scanners would also resolve some longstanding complaints about damage to personal items, he said.

"There were complaints that camera films became unusable or memory cards in mobile devices got corrupted due to X-ray scanning. The updated technology now includes safeguards to prevent such issues, ensuring that sensitive data remains unharmed during the scan," the officer said.

The scanners are also equipped with 21-inch monitors and advanced “colour-coded imaging” systems, he elaborated.

These systems use colour differentiation to highlight materials based on their density, metallic, organic, inorganic, or liquid properties, allowing officers to quickly identify potential threats, he said.

“Security isn’t just about vigilance; it’s also about speed and efficiency,” the official added.