The Lalbazar police headquarters lit up at night: Secure while the city sleeps. A Telegraph picture

Come August, nationalised banks in the city will be directly connected to the Lalbazar police headquarters.

In an attempt to curb robbery and other crimes, Calcutta Police has decided to set up a hotline for banks. Once operational, the hotline will enable bank officials to alert Lalbazar control room at the press of a button.

Deputy commissioner (detective department) Gyanwant Singh said the decision was taken recently, after a meeting with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials. Experts are working on the software needed to set up the hotline.

?The RBI has set up a committee to supervise the security arrangement in banks across the city. The panel recently approached us for connecting the banks with Lalbazar. We have given it a go-ahead. The committee is working on the software needed for the purpose,? stated Singh.

Initially, 22 nationalised bank branches across the city will be connected to the police headquarters on an experimental basis. Later, the rest of the banks will be made a part of the link.

?After being alerted by the officials about an emergency, we will call the police station closest to the bank and inform the radio flying squads. Our officers will reach the spot within minutes. This will go a long way in curbing bank robberies,? Singh added.

RBI?s chief general manager S. Chowdhury explained that several robberies in banks over the past few years had prompted the RBI to propose the setting up of a hotline.

?A committee has been formed and it is working with experts on ways to connect the banks with Lalbazar for security reasons. In case of an emergency, the Lalbazar control room can be alerted in no time,? Chowdhury told Metro.

Earlier, several banks had approached senior officers at Lalbazar, requesting them to connect their branches with police stations. None of the projects materialised.

?There are more than three banks under a single police station and that makes it all the more complicated. I think connecting banks to the Lalbazar control room is a better idea,? a senior IPS officer opined.

Joint commissioner of police (administration) Kuldiep Singh said he had recently received a letter from BSNL, mentioning that four branches of nationalised banks are willing to pay for installation of new phone connections at Lalbazar control room for easy accessibility.