Police recovered 369 lost and snatched mobile phones and returned them to their rightful owners as part of a special drive launched by the police commissionerate.Commissioner of police Swapan Sharma returning a mobile phone to a man in Ludhiana on Friday. (HT Photo)Commissioner of police Swapan Sharma said Ludhiana, being a major industrial city, attracts thousands of workers from different parts of the country who rely heavily on mobile phones for communication, employment and financial transactions. In recent months, the police had received several complaints regarding lost and snatched mobile phones, causing financial losses and mental distress to victims.To address the issue, the commissionerate launched a special technical tracing campaign through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal after the IMEI numbers of missing phones were blocked. Through sustained efforts, police teams successfully traced and recovered 369 smartphones of various brands.The commissioner appealed to the public to immediately report any lost or stolen mobile phone to the nearest police station or Saanjh Kendra so that the device can be blocked and traced, preventing its misuse by anti-social elements.Cops to cut ‘Dial 112’ response timeReducing response time to emergency calls has emerged as a key priority for the Ludhiana Police, with authorities deciding to strategically reposition emergency response vehicles (ERVs) across the city to ensure quicker assistance to people in distress.The decision was taken during a high-level review meeting chaired by Inspector General of Police (Provisioning) S Bhoopati and Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma. All gazetted officers of the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate attended the meeting.Police officials said efforts are underway to reduce the response time for calls received on the Dial 112 emergency helpline to the minimum possible. To achieve this, ERVs are being scientifically redeployed at key locations across the city so that police teams can reach incident spots within minutes.The move is part of a broader strategy to strengthen public safety and improve the efficiency of emergency policing. Officials said faster response to distress calls can play a crucial role in preventing crime, saving lives and providing timely assistance to victims.The meeting also reviewed measures to strengthen law and order and intensify the ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking under the NDPS Act. Police leadership emphasised a proactive and citizen-centric policing model.To boost public confidence and deter crime, the commissionerate carried out an audit of force deployment, following which the visibility of uniformed personnel will be increased in markets, public places and residential areas.The functioning of security checkpoints (nakkas) was also reviewed. Officers were instructed to carry out technology-driven checks of suspicious vehicles while ensuring minimal inconvenience to the public.